
rXOI.l’DlXG 

Biography, Business, 
Health and Miscellany. 


i 


.U'uiriher One. 



AV. L. WEST, 

Compiler and PuhUsher, 
. 126 Clakk Street, 

CII10AG0.«i 








































OR 




nformationI 

S' 

FOR 



INCLUDING 

Biography, Business, 
Health and Miscellany. 


JViimher One. 


W. L. WEST, 


Compile!' and PahfisheTt 
12G Clark Street, 
CHICAGO. 


0 










Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, 

BY W. L. WEST, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 


OUR SCRAP BOOK. 

Price by Mail Prepaid: 

Single Copies, 80c. 

Two “ .50 

Five “ to one Address 1.00 

Address W. L. WEST, 

126 Clark St. Chicago. 



I^BEX. 


BIOGKAPJIY. 


PAGE 

Sketch of the Early Life of Abraham Lincoln. 5 

BUSINESS. 

Business Maxims for Business Men. 

Business Law. 

Don’t Expect too Mucii. 

How Some Men becorue Rich, 

How to Succeed. 

Prescription for Hard Times. 

The Philosophy of Advertising. 

The Way to Advertise. 

The Necessity of Persistent Advertising. 

To Make a Good Collector. 

HEALTH. 


A Hand-bath. 

89 

Air. 

43 

Accidents etc. 

45 

A Novel Cure for Dyspepsia. 

56 

Bad Breath. 

46 

Compresses. 

40 

Care of the Teeth. 

67 

Clothing of Infants. 

68 

Causes of Disease. Causes of Health. 

61 

Dress. 

44 

Disease by Vaccination. 

62 

Fomentations. Foot-bath. 

40 

Food and Drink. 

43 

General Rules of Health. 

41 

Healing Power of Water. How to Bathe. 

38 

How to Prevent Small-pox without Vaccination. 

r. 

A/*.' 

Hats off. 

63 

How' to Grow Fat. 

69 

How People Get Sick. 

60 

Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. 

48 

Medical Value of Asparagus and Celery. 

55 


83 

34 
37 
32 
36 
36 
25 
27 
30 

35 



Retire Early. 

60 

Sitz-bath. 

40 

Sleep, Study, and Exercise. The Senses. 

44 

The Toothache 

.58 

Underclothing. 

.54 

Who Should Bathe. 

88 

When to Bathe- 

80 

"Wet Pack. 

40 

MISCELLANY. 


A Secret for Ladies. 

83 

American Wonders. 

80 

A Remarkable Alan. 

00 

Being Sociable. 

71 

Chat \vith the Cliildren on Courage. 

75 

Care of Canary Birds. 

80 

Care of Team Horses. 

01 

How and When to Speak and What to Say. 

02 

Henry Ward Beecher on Reading. 

67 

How to Retain a Good Face. 

70 

He Could be Trusted. 

70 

How to Do Up Shirt Bosoms. 

80 

Home-Alade Vinegar. 

.^7 

Items for Housekeepers. 

84 

Reading One's Hair. 

00 

Some Impolite Things to Avoid. 

75 

Sensible Conclusion. 

81 

Stuffed Dog. 

81 

Some Old Dutch Proverbs. 

93 

Selections from Carl Pretzel’s Witticisms. 

94 

St. Patrick. 

95 

The Naming of Children. 

73 

The Seven AVonders of the AVorld. 

88 

The First Printed Book. 

91 

Unprol'itable Acquaintances. 

73 

Woman's Rights. 

82 

Worth Knowing. 

83 

Worth Remembering. 

85 



OUR SCRAP BOOK. 


BIOGEAPHY. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

Sketch of His Early Life. 

So far as the first twenty or twenty-five years of his life 
are concerned nothino: else has vet been published which is 
vorth attention when coin])ared with the fulness of detail now 
furnished. 

Abraham Lincoln, born Lebrnary 12, 1808, was the son of 
Thomas Lincoln and Kancj Hanks. The Lincolns were emi- 
ii^rants directly from Env-land to Yiro-inia, or an offshoot of 
the tiistoric Lincoln family in Massaclmselts, or of the 
hiohly respectable Lincoln family in Pennsylvania, are ques¬ 
tions left entirely to conjecture. Thomas Lincoln stoutly denied 
that his progenitors were either Quakers or Puritans; but he 
furnished nothing except his own word to sustain the denial; 
on the contrary, some of the family who remain in Virginia 
believe themselves to have sprung from the New England 
stock. The late President lived and died in the belief that his 
ancestoi’s came from Perks County, Pennsylvania. Of the 




Hanks family next to nothing is or ever will he known. Ahont 
the time of the lievolution it had an existence in Yii’ginia; 
suhseqnentlv some of its memhers moved into iventneky and 
settled near the Lincolns, Both families belonged to the class 
of ‘‘poor whites;” Abraham is the only member of either wor¬ 
thy of notice, exce])t as they derive an interest from his re¬ 
lationship. 

AVhetl.er the father of Thomas was named Alwaham or 

Mordicai is a matter of serious donht. The martvr President 

♦/ 

believes it to have been Abraham: the Hanks family all in- 
sist that it was Mordicai. AVhatever his name, he had for chil¬ 
dren three sons and two daughters, of whom Thomas, born 
in 1778, was the third son and fourth child. When this lad 
was 2 or 3 years old the family emigrated from Ilockingham 
Comity, Virginia, to what is now Mercer Comity, Kentncky- 
There the father built a rough log-cabin on a little clearing^ 
in the midst of a vast forest. Two or three years later he was 
shot dead one morning by Indians while liiiildiiig a fence 
near his hut, and the boy Thomas barely escaped with his 
life. The widow at once moved into V7ashington C( mity with 
her children, and appears to have lived there during the rest 
of her life. In that neighbourhood two of her sons and both 
her daughters married and lived respectably—the sons being 
counted among the best people of the section. Of these un¬ 
cles and aunts, Abi’aham appears to have made no account. 

Thomas was little more than a good-natured vagabond 
through youth and the earlier ^lart of his manhood. lie would 
not remain at home with his mother when a boy, but roved 
about through three or four counties—idle, thriftless, given 
to hunting, wrestling, story-telling, fond of frequenting way- 
side taverns and country stores, careless of gain or money, 
exj:)ert in the use of the rifle, addicted to long tramps with or 
without a companion. lie grew up short and stout, weighing 


about 175 ]wiinds when lie became of age, had dark and 
coarse hair, brown coin])lexion. fall and round face, grey eyes, 
large and prominent nose, was a little stooping in figure, 
walked Avitb a slow and baiting step, Avas ])caceable ])ut braA^e 


and sineAVA', and a tremendous man in a rmm'h-and-tumble 

* O 

tight. This Avas the father of Abraham Lincoln in liis Amung’er 
days. Men of tliis type are common enough throughout the 
country regions of the South even at this day. lie could nei¬ 
ther read nor Avrite till after his marriage; ostensibly he Awas 
a carpenter by trade, but he neverbuiltahouse or a barn; AAais 
neither a boss workman, a fair journeyman, nor even a “steady 
hand;’’ he liked odd jobs rerpiiring but a fcAv days for their 
accomplishment; had such skill only as w’ent to the making of 
benches, cupboards, etc. In politics he Avas a democrat of the 
straightest sect, as became a good Kentuckian; early in life, 
he AAaxs a Froe-Avill Baptist in his religious ideas, though la¬ 
ter he drifted over into Presbyterianism. The family name 
AAais prononnced “Linckhorn” both in Virginia and Kentucky; 
in Indiana, for Avhile, it aa'us “Linkhern;’'Avhen the boy Abra¬ 
ham had learned to Avrite a little he corrected it to Lincoln. 

This thriftless, ha])py-go-hicky Thomas finally loafed int^ 
Elizabeth to Avn, Hardin County, there Avorked on and off at his 
trade, and courted one Sally Bush, a neat, pious, modest girl. 


Avho AAais accounted a “proud body” because she held herself 
aloof from tlie rnde and roystering folks of the ])lace Avith 
Avhom her lot Avas cast. She rejected his suit, but subsequently 
l)ecame his second Avife and Avas the “mother” of AAdiom 
Abraham, boy and man, always spoke in love and tenderness. 
Unsuccessful AAnlh this girl, Thomas fell in love AAnth Kancy 
Hanks, and she accepted him some time in 1800 when he 
AA'as 28, and she about 23. It is admitted by all the old resi¬ 
dents of Elizabeth to Avn that they aa^ re honestly married, but 
precisely AAdieii or hoAv no one can tell. Diligent and thorongh 


8 


searches by the most competent persons have failed to dis¬ 
cover any trace of the fact in the public records ot Hardin 
and the adjoining counties. The license and the minister s 
return, in the case of Lincoln and his second wife, were easi¬ 
ly found in the place where the law required them to be; but 
of Haney Hank’s marriage there exists no evidence except 
that of mutual acknowledgment and cohabitation. It is sta¬ 
ted that she was a slender, symmetrical woman, of medium 
stature, a brunette, with dark hair, regular features, and 
soft, sparkling hazel eyes. Tenderly bred she might have 
been beautiful; but hard labor and hard usage bent her hand¬ 
some form and imparted an unnatural coarseness to her fea¬ 
tures long before the period of her death, which t(^ok place 
about twelve years after her marriage. She had a hard, and 
wearying, and wholly unenvial)le life, and toward its close, 
her face wore an inexpressible sad and woful expression. This 
woman was the the mother of Abraham Lincoln. 

The newly-married couple began life in a house or shed, 
fourteen feet square, on an alley in Elizabethtown, which was 
still standing half a dozen years ago, and used as a stable. 
Compared with the mental poverty other husband andrela- 
tiv^es, the bride’s accomplishments were certainly very great; 
for it is related by them with pride and delight that she 
could actually read and write. The possession of these arts 
placed her far above her associates, and after a little while 
even her husband began to meditate upon the importance 
of acquiring them. He set to work accordingly, in real ear¬ 
nest, having a competent mistress so near at hand; and witli 
much eftbrt she taught him what letters composed his name, 
and howto put them together in a stiff and clumsy fashion. 
ILenceforth he signed no more by making his mark; but it 
is nowhere stated that he ever learned to write anything else, 
or to read either written or printed letters. He speedily 


y 


wearied of Elizabethtown and Ins trade, thought heconlddo 
better as a farmer and accordingly/.in 1807, soon after the 
birth of his first child^ a daughter, removed some thirteen 
miles out from town to a tract of land on the soiitli fork of 
what was called Nolin Creek: -It was a miserable section of 
country, nearly destitute of timber, covered with weeds and 
low bushes, scarcely worth tillage or occupancy.' The family 
took up their residence in a forlorn cabin, standing on a little 
knoll in the midst of a barren, glade, tHiereof a few loose 
stones 1 vino: about still mark the site.- .' Here Abraham Lincoln 
was born Febrnarv, 12, 1809. . ' f ‘ 


Here the family remained till the future President was 4 
years of age, when they im-ved six or eight miles to a location 
on Knob Creek. Tliis farm was well timbered, and more hilly 
than the one on Koliii Creek. It contained some rich valleys, 
which:promised some'excellent yields; so that Lincoln be¬ 
stirred himself most vigorously, and actually got into culti¬ 
vation the whole of six acres, lying advantageously up and 
down the branch. This howev er, :was not all the work he 
did, for he still continued to potter occasionally at h;s trade; 
but, no matter what he turned his hand to, his gains were 
equally insignificant. Nothing prospered with him except 
his love for hunting, stoiy-telling and loafing. He was satis¬ 
fied with indifferent shelter and a diet of com-bn ad and 
milk, apparently troubled himself veiy little about h‘s wife 
or children, and seat his boy to such wretched schools jis the 
place afforded to keep him out of the way and bear his sister 


company. ThL youngster A braliam fished up and down the 
creek with his cousin, Denis‘Hanks, hunted ground-hogs 
with a boy named Duncan and showed .great zest in the sport. 


and roved the hills and climbed the trees with a .com])anion 
named Gallaher. On one occasion, when' attempting to 
‘^coon’. across the stream, by swinging over on a sycamore 


tree, Abraham lost his hold, and, tumbling into dec^ water 
was saved only by the utmost exertions of the Gallaher boy. 
This is ^dl the record that the most painstaking of biogra¬ 
phers can give as of tlie first seven years of the life of the 
kid who was to make such a grand figure in the world’s his¬ 
tory. It was the narrowest and most meagre of lives. 

Lincoln, the father, slowly drifted downward. He w’asg*ain- 
ing neitlier richer nor credit; and, l>eing a wanderer by nat¬ 
ural inclination, began to long lor a change. His decision 
however, was hastened by certain troubles which culminated 
in a desperate combat between him and one Abraham En- 
low. They fought like savages; but Lincoln obtained a sig. 
nal and permanent advantage by biting off the nose of his 
antagonist. This affray and the fame of it made Lincoln more 
anxious than ever to escape from Kentucky, and he there¬ 
fore resolved to leave the state forever, and seek a home north 
of the Ohio. ‘Tt ha^ pleased some of the Abraham Lincoln’s 
biographers,” says Colonel Laman, “to represent this remo¬ 
val of his father as a flight from the taint of slavery. N othing 
could be further from the truth. There were not at that time 
more than fifty slaves in all Hardin County, which then 
comprised a vast area of territory. It was practically a free 
coinmunity. Lincoln’s more foitunate relatives in other parts 
of the state were slaveholders; and there is not the sliijhtest 
evidence that he ever disclosed any conscientious scruples 
aiicaiiist slaveholding.” In the fall of 1816 the man went over 
into Indiana and selected a place about sixteen miles from 
Troy, oil the Ohio River, and thither moved his family, “pack¬ 
ing” his wife and children and scant stock of household 
goods through on horses. 

The family settled on Pigeon Creek, about a mile and a half 
oast of the present village of Gentry ville. The whole coun¬ 
try was c^ivered with a dense forest of large growth, devoid of 


11 


underbrush;‘Mecr-lick8’’aboTinded on erery hand: the soil 
was deep and strong, and everything grew wildly luxuriant, 
the natural grazing was good, and hogs found abundant sus¬ 
tenance in the prodigious quantity of “mast.’’ There were 
only seven or eight older settlers than tlie Lincolns in the 
neighborhood; the nearest town was some sixteen miles dis¬ 
tant; the country was without roads, churches, or school- 
houses; traveling was done on foot, or on horseback, or by 
means of canoes; the whole siate, admitted into the Union 
that year, had a population of but 66,000; corn and pork 

were the principal articles of food; but little wheal was grown 
in all the section, and the Pigeun Creek settlers had to go sev¬ 
en or eight miles to mill, and then grind their twelve or fif¬ 
teen bushels of grain per day by hand; deer, bears, turkeys, 
and smaller game were very plenty, and the squatter’s rifle 
and its belongings were his most valuable property; the peo¬ 
ple were kind, accommodating and social in a rude fashion, 
somewhatgiven to immorality, drunkenness and petty thiev¬ 
ing. Lincoln squatted on a hillock, built a half-faced camp 
of poles, fourteen feet square, enclosed on three sides and 
open on the fourth, without windows or doors or any floor 
save the earth. In this he lived for a year, cleared up a little 
land and raised a small crop of corn and vegetables. In the 
following, year, 1817, he built a larger cabin, of rough un¬ 
hewed logs, inclosed on all sides, but for two or three years 
without floor or doors In this year he also entered and laid 
claim to 160 acres of land, but at the end often years he had 
paid the government price for but half of it, and in June, 1827, 
there was issued to “Thomas Lincoln, alias Linkhern,” a pat¬ 
ent for 80 acres, signed by John Quincy Adams as Presi¬ 
dent. This location was the home of the family for about 
fourteen years, and here the character of Abj’aham Lincoln 
was formed. He was a sportive but serious-faced lad of sev- 


en when he went there to live, and an ungainly, long-legged, 
strong-limbed gawky of about 21 when he and the family 
emigrated to Illinois. 

For two or three years after settling, Tom Lincoln, as he 
was universallv called, lived along about as he had in Ken- 
tucky. Ills wife was broken with care and trouble, old and 
worn long before her time; their two children could not go 
to school, for there wei’e tlien no schools within walking dis¬ 
tance; tlie father cared notliing lor education, and the moth¬ 


er seems to have lost the buoyant spirit she had when mar¬ 
ried. Lincoln did not like to farm, and he never got much 
of his land under cultivation. Ilis principal crop was corn; 
and this, with the game which a rifleman so expert would 
easily take from the woods around him mainly supplied his 
table. It does not appear that he employed any of his me¬ 
chanical skill in completing and furnishing his own cabin. 
It has aheadV been stated that the latter had no window, 


door, or floor. But the furniture—was even worse than the 
house. Three-legged stools served for chairs. A bedstead 
was made of poles stuck in the cracks of the logs in one cor¬ 
ner of the cabin, while the other end rested in the crotch of 
a forked stick sunk in the earthen floor. On these were laid 
some b( ards, and on the boards a “shake-down” of leaves cov¬ 
ered with skins and old petticoats. The table was a hewed 
puncheon, supported by four legs. They had a few pewter 
and tin dishes to eat from, but the most minute inventory 
of their eflTects makes no mention of knives or forks. Their 
cooking utensils were a Dutch oven and a skillet. Abraham 
slept in the loft, to which he ascended by means of pins driv¬ 
en into holes in the wall, 

In the summer of 1818 the Pigeon Creek settlements were 


visited by a fearful disease, called, in common parlance,“the 
milk sickness.” It swept off the cattle which gave themilk, 


as well as the lininaii beings who drank it, and it seems to 
have prevailed in the neighborhood for many years. The 
Termination of the disease was not generally sudden, but the 
])roportion of those attacked who finally died was very larsre, 
i]iere was no physician in the country—not even a preten¬ 
der to the science of medicine; and the nearest regular prac¬ 
titioner was over in Kentucky, thirty miles distant. Tliere 
is neither record nor tradition that his services were ever se¬ 
cured. Tom Lincoln was handier with tools than any oth¬ 
er man in the neighborhood; when any one died he v/as 
called on to make tlie coffin, which he “cut out of sfreen him- 
ber with a whip-saw.” So he fashioned the rude boxes in 
which were lai laway the bodies of Thomas and iJetsey Spar¬ 
row, the aunt and uncle of his wife, with whom’ she lived in 
Kentucky when a little girl, who followed the Lincolns to 
Indiana about a year after their removal. Two or three 
days after their burial Mrs Lincoln herself died—Oct, 5, 
1818. Tom took to the green lumber again, and made a 
box for the body of his wife, which was buried on the sum¬ 
mit of a wooded knoll half a mile from the rude cabin in 
which the family lived, and aloncr-side the newly made 
graves of the Sparrows. Ko funeral ceremonies were held 
at the time, but a few’ months later a commeinoraLi\’e ser¬ 
mon w’as preached by an itinerant missionary. As the year 
went on, other gr iv^es were made on the knoll. At the pres¬ 
ent time they are all sunken,crumbled in, and covered with 
wild vines in dee]) and tangled mats. The great trees were 
originally cut away to make a small cleared spac.* for this 
primitive graveyard; but the young dog-woods have sprung 
up unopposed in great luxuriance, and in many instances 
the names of pilgrims to the burial-place of the great Abra¬ 
ham Lincoln’s mother are carved in their bark. With this 
exception the spot is w’holly unmarked. Her grave never 


14 


had a stone nor even a board at its head or its loot: and the 
neiijhbors still dispute as to which one of these unsightly 
hollows contains the ashes of Nancy Lincoln. 

Thirteen niontlis after the burial ot Abraham’s mother, 
Tom lancohi a]>]'eared at Klizabethtown, Ky., in search of a 
wife. The Sally Ibish whom he first courted, and by whom 
he was rej 'Cted in 1805. had now been the widow Johnston 
for about four years, with a son and two daughters for chil¬ 
dren: Lincoln appears to have loved lier as devotedly as it 
was possible ^br such a careless fellow lo love any woman. 
Presenting himself to her, he opened his suit in an abrupt 
manner— ‘Well, I have no wife, and you have no husband. 
1 came a purpose to marry you; I knowed you from a gal, 

and you knowad me from a boy. I have no 'ime to lose; 

_ 

and, if you are williiL, let it be done straight off.” To this 
she replied, ‘‘Tommy, I know you well, and have no ob¬ 
jection to marrying you; l)ut I cannot do it straight off, as 
I owe some debts that must first be paid.” Despite this 
])lea f-r delay she married him the very next day, and they 
at once str.rted for Indiana, going with a hired four-horse 
team She was spoken of in Elizabethtown as a “poor wid¬ 
ow,” but she possessed goods, which, in the eyes of Tom 
Lincoln, were of almost unparalleled magnificence. Among 
other things, she had a bureau that cost $40; and he in¬ 
formed hei’, on theii- arrival in Indiana, that, in his deliber¬ 
ate opinion, it was little less than sinful to be the owner of 
such a thing. lie demanded that she should turn it into 
cash, which she positively refused to do. She had quite a 
lot of other articles, however, which he thought well enough 
in their way, and some of which were sadly needed in his 
miserable cabin in the wilds of Indiana. Dennis Hanks 
speaks with great rapture of the “ large supply of household 
goods ” which she brought out with her. There was “ one 


line bureau, one table, one set of chairs, one large clothes- 
cheat, cooking utensils, knives, forks, bedding, and other 
articles.” 

•‘‘When tlie new Mrs. Lincoln reached her Indiana home, 
she was much ‘surprised,’ the old townsmen say, at the pov¬ 
erty and meanness of the place. She had evidently been 
given to understand that the bridegroom had reformed his 
old Kentucky ways, and was now an industrious and pros¬ 
perous tVirmer. She was scarcely able to restrain the ex¬ 
pression of her astonishment and discontent; but, though 
sadly overreached in a bad bargain, her lofty pride and her 
high sense of Christian duty saved her from hopeless and 
useless repinings. On the contrary, she set about mending 
what was amiss with all her strenorht and energy. Her own 
goods furnished the cjibin with tolerable decency. She 
made Linexdn put down a floor, and hang windows and 
doors. It was in the depth of winter; and the children, as 
th j nestled in. the warm beds she pi’ovided them, enjoving 
the strange Inx-nry of secitrity from the cold 'vinds of De¬ 
cember, an ust have thanked her from the bottoms of their 
newly-comforted hearts. She had brought a son an., two 
daughters ot her own, but Abe and his sister, the ragged 
and helpless^ little strangers to her blood, were given an 
equal place-in her aflections. They were half naked, and 
she clad them from the stores of clothing she had laid up 
for her own. They were dirty, and she washed them: they 
had been ill-used, and she treated them .with motherly ten¬ 
derness. In her own modest l inguage, she ‘made them look 
a little more human.’ Tn fact’ says Dennis Hanks, ‘in a 
few'weeks all had changed; and where everytliing was want- 
irio*, now all was snug and comfortable. She was a woman 
of great energy, of remarkable good sense, very industrious 
and saving, and also very neat and tidy in her ]>erson and 


It) 


manners, and knew exactly how to manage children. She 
took an especial liking to young Abe. Her love for him 
was warmly retiii*ned, and continued to the day of his death. 
But few children loved their parents as he loved his step¬ 
mother. She soon dressed him up in entire new* clothes, 

and from that time on Ik* appeared to lead a, 
new life- He was encouraged by her to study, and any 
wish on his })art was gratified when it could be done. The 
two sets of children not along tinely together, as if they had 
all been the children of the same parents. Mr«. Lincoln soon 
discovered that young Abe was a boy of uncommon natural 
talents.' and that, if ricditly trained, a brif^ht future was be- 
fore him, and she did all in her power to develope those tal¬ 
ents. When, in after years, Mr. Lincoln spoke of his ‘saintly 
mother/ and of his ‘angel of a motlier,’ he referred to this 
noble 'Nvoman, who first made him feel like a human being,’ 
—whose goodness first touched his childish heart, and 
taught him that blows and taunts and’ degradations were 
not likely to be his only portion in the world. 

It was in December, 1819,that he came under the care of 
this woman, being then within two months cf eleven years 
of age, if the dates can be regarded as trustworthy, as to 
W’hich it must be said that they do not quite tally one wi..h 
another in all cases. The boy had apparently learned to read 
and write, though he had been given but a few weeks of 
schooling, and that in Kentucky. The new mother had a 
great liking for him and wished him to go to school. But 
schools were remote, and teachers the merest pedagogues of 
“readin, ritin and rithmetic; ” they could not teach what 
they themselves did not know, and were but indifferent teach¬ 
ers of what little they did know; the Lincoln family, like all 
its neighbors, was poor, and the head of it set no great store 
by education; Abe was wanted for odd jobs in the caiq^en- 


17 


ter’s rude shop and the puttering work on the farm; and all 
his scliool days for half a dozen years did not aggregate a 
twelve-month; what further education he obtained came 
*lrom his step-mother, and eager, self-imposed study. lie 
was e[uick in the acquisition of knowledge; excelled in the 
evening and afternoon ‘‘spelling matches” of the rime and 
place; kindly of heart, full of vitality, always in good liealth 
and humor; given to fun and merry-making; fond of tramps 
over the hills and through the woods, but not of manual la¬ 
bor; rarely cross to any body, and quite ready to join in any 
game of play or anv intellectual exercise. 

He g rew rapidly, aiul became homelier every day. At six¬ 
teen he was six feet and two inches tall, lean and wirv, and 
strong and elastic; a great jumper and runner, and wrestler; 
had a small head and large ears and nose, bii>: feet and hands, 
legs far too long for his body, skin yellow and shrivelled 
even then; he wore low shoes, buckskin breeche-. linsey- 
woolsey shirt, and a cap of coon or possum skin; the breech¬ 
es clung to his thighs and legs, but failed by a large space to 
reach his shoes—“twelve inches remained uncovered, and 
exposed that much of shin-bone, bine, sharp, and narrow.” At 
about this time, or a little earlier, he began to put his ideas 
on paper, first writing short sentences, one of his ])lnyinates 
savs, airainst crneltv to animals, and at leiu^th comiim forward 
with a regular “composition” on the subject. He was much 
annoved and pained bv the conduct of the bovs, who dc- 
lighted to catch small turtles and pile coals of fire on their 
backs, lie was obliged to give up even the pretence of go- 
iim to school wlien seventeen vears of age,—none of the 
teachers thereabouts could teach him any further. 

But he continued his studies at home, or wherever he was 
hired out to work. He professed no liking for the labor of 
shops or farms, but readily and absorbingly gave himself up 


to any book on wliicb he could lay his hands. He liked to 

lie under the trees or up in the loft of the cabin and read, 

cipher and scribble. At night he sat at the chiinney “jamb’’ 

and ciphered by the light of the lire, on the wooden lire-, 

shovel. AVhen the shovel was fairlv covered he would shave 

« • 

it off vdth Tom Lincoln’s draw-knife and begin again. In 
the daytime he used boards for the same pui’pose out ol 
doors, and went through the shaving process everlastingly. 
Ilis step-mother repeats often that “he read every book he 
could get hold of; and when he came across a passage that 
struck him he would write it down on boards if he had no 
paper, and keep it there until he did get paper. Ihen he 
would rewrite it, look at it, repeat it. He had a copy book, 
a kind of scrap-book, in which he put down all things, and 
thus preserved them.” Speaking of the same time of life 
old John Hanks savs that when he and Abe returned from 

4 / 

work at night the gawky young man would snatch a piece 
of corn-bread from the cupboard, seize a book, sit down on 
a chair or stool, cock his heels as high as his head, and read 
as Ions: as he could see. On what intellectual meats did 
this coming President feed? He had Esop’s Fables, Rob¬ 
inson Crusoe, Pilgrim’s Progress, a History of the United 
States, Weem’s Life of Washington, the Revised Statutes 
of Indiana, and one or two others not recollected by his 
old associates. The Washington he borrowed of a nei< 2 :h- 
bor, Josiah Crawford. It was caj^erlv read in the intervals 
of work, and when not in use was carefully deposited on a 
shelf, made of a clapboard laid on two pins. But just be¬ 
hind the shelf there was a great crack between the logs of 
the wall: and one night, while Abe was dreaming in the 
loft, a storm came up, and the rain, blown through the open 
ing, soaked his precious book from cover to cover. Craw¬ 
ford was a sour and churlish fellow at best, and flatly refused 


19 


\ 

to take tlie damaged book back again. lie said tliat, if 
Abe bad no money to pay for it, he conld work it ont. Of 
course, there was no alternative; and Abe was obliged "o 
discharge the debt by “pulling fodder” three days, at 25 
cents a day. The bible, according to his step-mother, was 
not one of his studies; “he sought more congenial books,” 
she simply said to tlie biographer. 

This avidity for books was not to the notion of young Lin¬ 
coln’s father. The boy was as full of his yarns and quirks 
then as in later life; he was pleasant about the house and 
among the neighbors; everybody stood ready to do a good 
turn tor “Abe Linkhern” but his own father; he had no 
special aiitipathv for the boy, but treated him with much 
coarseness, “witu great barbarity” says one witness, though 
the ])hrase seems too strong. But the old man had some 
grievances, and took no pains to hide his dislike of things. 
Abe not onlv read all the books he could borrow, and untir- 
ingly pegged away at his scrap-book when he might have 
been at work, but he began to make his mark as a talker, or 
a “preacher, ” his step-sister says. He had a very retentive 
memory, and frequently amused his yoang companions by 
repcatiiig long extracts from books he had been reading. 
Sometimes when the old folks were at church on Sunday he 
canned on ]U‘eaching at liome, with the children as his audi¬ 
tors. On Mondays he frequently mounted a stool or stump 
and repeated the sermon he had heard from the parson on 
the preceding day. Moreover, he occasionally tried his 
tongue on some phase of what he called politics. This prac¬ 
tice of preaching and political speaking into which he had 
fallen, at length became a great nuisance to old Tom. It 
d istracted everybody, and sadly interfered wdth the work. 
If Abe had confined his discourses to Sunday preaching? 
while the old folks were away, it would not have been so 


20 


objectionable. But he knew his power, liked to idease ev¬ 
erybody, and was sure to set up as an oratoi wherever he 
Ibund a great number of people together. When it was an¬ 
nounced that Abe had taken the “stump-’ in the harvest- 
held, there was an end of work. Tim hands flocked around 
him, and listeued to his curious speeches with inhuite de¬ 
light. “Tlie sight of such a thing amu sed all,” says Mrs. 
Lincoln: tlimigh .she admits that her husband was compelled 
to break it no \*kth a string hand; and poor Abe was many 
times drair 5 '*ctl i’rom Ihe platform and hustled off to his 
work in no gentle manner. 

There is no such thing as controverting the testimony— 
young Lincoln did not like to work. He generally did 
what he undertook, but was slow to undertake anything. 
Occaiionally he labored in the shop with his father, but 
never tried to learn the trade thoroughly, and declared he 
would never be either a farmer, or carpenter. He was fond 
of home delights, liked to be around among the neighbors, 
excelled in what may be denominated household “chores.” 
He tried his hand at pretty much every kind of labor there 
was in such a baok-woods locality, working fairly enough 
while he did work, never loth to take a new job if it prom¬ 
ised to be a short one, Avimiiiig friends and good fellowship 
wherever he went, picking up new jokes and stories on every 
hand, showing a deal of liumor and considerable coarse wit, 
shy of grown girls, but immenseh" fond of children, clad 
uncouthly, and getting al^ont awkAA^ardly, always on hand 
when there Avas srjort of aiiA" sort. 

i. 4 / 

“Society in the Pigeon Creek settlement,—Sentryyille it 
came to be called as Abraham Lincoln grew to man- 
hood,—Avas little different fi-om that of any other back- 
woods settlement of those dao^s. The houses Avere scattered 

4/ 

far apart; but the inhabitants would travel long distances 


to a log-rolling, a liouse-rai#ing, a wedding, or anything else 
that might be turned into a fast and furious frolic. On 
such occasions the young women carried their shoes in their 
hands, and only ])ut them on when about to join the com¬ 
pany. The ladies drank whiskey-toddv% while.the men took 
it straight: and l^oth sexes danced the livelong night, bare¬ 
footed, on puncheon flof)i’s. The fair sex ^vore ‘corn-field 
bonnets, scoop-shaped, flaring in front, and long, though 
narrow, behind.’ Shoes were the mode when entering- the 

e? 

ball-room; but it was not at all fashionable to scuff them 
out by walking or dancing in them. ‘Four yards of linsey- 
woolsey, a yard in width, made a dress for any woman. The 
waist was short, and terminated just under the arms, whilst 
the skirt was long and narrow, ‘crimps and puckering frills’ 
it had none. The coats of the men were home-made; the 
materials jeans or linsey-woolsey. The "waists were short, 
like the fiocks of the women, and the long ‘claw-hammer’ 
tail was split up to the %vaist. This, howeyer, was company 
dress, and the hunting-shirt did duty for eyery day. The 
breeches were of buck-skin or jeans; the cap .was of -coon- 
skin, and the shoes of leather tanned at ho-me.” 

Among these unlearned, boisterous, superstitious folks 
young Lincoln was a general favorite, and, so far as can now 
be learned, he had no decided feeling or dislike toward any 
of them, except Josiah Crawford, the man who compelled 
him to “ work out ”• the value of the rain-ruined Life of 
Washington. But he frequently, hired for short spells even 
to Crawford, whose wife w^as one of his best friends, and 
loaned him several books without her husband’s knowledge. 
One of these was a school book, the “Kentucky Preceptor,” 
in which there were many pieces of verse, and extracts from 
speeches and orations. When he* was 17 years old, Lincoln 
began to indulge himself in rhyming exerefises. Mr-Craw- 


.22 


ford seems to have been speciallj noted for his crabbed 
temper and a great misshapen nose—the last a feature not 
uncommon among old tipplers. Abe’s first sallies in dog¬ 
gerel verse were at Crawford; they made a great deal of 
merriment in the settlement, and newly impressed the set¬ 
tlers with the idea that here was a genius indeed. In the 

course of two or thi’ee years this President in a coon-skin 

•/ 

cap, buckskin breeches and linsey-woolsey hunting-shirt 
made a famous name as a “poet.” Heaven save the mark! 
Such of his jingling rhymes as Colonel Lamon gives are 
coarse lamp<x>ns, devoid of wit or generosity, foul in sug¬ 
gestion, if not in language, and shocking to all our later 
ideas of the man. But that he wrote them, as well as 
others too indecent for printing, there can be no question. 
By nature he was kind of heart, and helpful of all in dis¬ 
tress, but he lived and grew up in a rude community, where 
culture and refinement were words of unknown meaning, 
where personal suj)eriority of some sort was every man’s 
ambition, and where every one was called a “good fellow” 
who could tell a clever, dirty story without blushing. 

At 18 Lincoln had become the tallest and strongest man 
in the settlement, widely known for his skill as a wrestler, 
and, in a good iiatured way, something of a bully. He 
cared more to sit in the door and gossip with women and 
play w'ith children than he did to go out hunting. He 
Was alert and active about everything he made up his mind 
to do, walked with a long, swinging stride, and hunting 
was much too still and solitary an occupation. All kinds 
of popular gatherings had an attraction not to be resisted. 
He liked to see and be seen, to make sport and enjoy it, 
to hear the sound of his own voice when it was promoting 
frolic. It was, says Colonel Lamon, a most important part 
of hivS education that he got at the corn-shuckings, the log- 


23 


rollings, the sliooting-matclies, and the gr.y and jolly wed¬ 
dings of these early border times. He was the only man 
or boy within a wide compass wlio had learning enough to 
furnish the literature for such occasions; and those who 
failed to enjoy his talents to grace or commemorate 'he fes¬ 
tivities they set on foot w’ere sure to be stung by some coarse 
but humorous lampoon from his pen. In the social way, 
he would not suffer himself to be slighted with impunity; 
and, if there were any who did not enjoy his wit, the}" 
might content themselves with being the suljects of it. 
Unless he received some very pointed intimation that his 
presence was not wanted, he was among the first and ear¬ 
liest at all the neighborhood routs; and when his tall, sin¬ 
gular figure was seen towering among the hunting-shirts, 
it was considered due notice that the fun was about to com¬ 
mence. “Abe Linkhern,” as he was generally called, made 
things lively wherever he went. But when a party was 
made up, and he left out, as sometimes happened, he sulked, 
fumed, “got mad,” nursed his anger into rage, and then 
broke out in songs or “chronicles,” which were frequently 
very bitter, sometimes passably humorous, and generally 
vulgar. 

This sketch of his boyhood might easily be extended to 
double its present length from the materials furnished in 
Lamon’s book. But such extension is unnecessarv. Al- 

V 

ready we can see what the young man Lincoln is going to 
be when he brgins li-e for Iiimself lie has acquired some 
facility with the pen; he is ready to mount the stump on the 
slightest provocation; he is known for his love of coarse 
stories and his gentle dispositi<»n; he is a cordial respecter 
of women, and foremost among the men of the settlements; 
he has long been a great reader, and possesses a remarkable 
memory; he has shown an eagerness of ambition quite at 


variance wUh some other traits of character; he detests man¬ 
ual labor, but studies books of law and politics half the 
night; he is a long and lean giant in stature, and able to 
take care of liimself in any rough contest; he ardently lov .s 
his step-mother, and good humoredly bears with his father; 
he can out-run, out-walk, out-leap, out-wrestle, out-lift the 
best of his acquaintances; necessity has made him self-reli¬ 
ant, and he is slow to giye offence; he has no fondness for 
intoxicating liquor, can take a dram on occasion, but pre¬ 
fers to let it alone; he shows a seemingly shrewd faculty .of 
compliance, but after all is quite apt to haye his own way 
in the end; lu manifests considerable subtlety in adapting 
himself to the under-currents , of popular movement, and 
piofessedly studies for advancement as a leader in some un¬ 
seen direction; he wishes to strike out for himself eveii now, 
but consents to wait three years till he is of age and comes 
to his majority, about the time the family moves into Illinois; 
is sad and moody at odd spells, but has a blessed readiness 
of tact which enables him to hide his depression of spirit; 
he thirsts for knowle lge, .particularly of politics and history, 
and devours all the newspapers that come in his way; he 
thinks little about religion, but is a profound believer in the 
instincts of humanity; he is crafty and honest, moulds folks 
to his own desires by simple methods, is loved by all the 
women, and held in good fellowship by all men. 


Never be cast down by trifles. If a spider break his web 
twenty times, twenty times will he mend it. Make up your 
mind to do a thiim, an I vou will do it. 

If you wish success in life, make perseverance’ your bo¬ 
som friend, experience your ’ wise counselor, caution your 
elder brother, and hope your guardian genius. 



BUSINESS. 


THE PHYLOSOPHY OF ADVERTISING, 

The better known to the public a firm or an article of 
merit may be, the better it will pay to advertise. 

If you don’t mean to mind your business, it will not pay 
to advertise. 

Handbills and circulars are good of their kind, but they 
cannot take the place of newspaj^er advertisements. 

No bell can ring so loudly as a good advertisement, peo¬ 
ple will believe what they see rather than what they hear. 

Show us your village paper, and without further knowl¬ 
edge we will tell you from a glance at its local columns who 
are its active, energetic business men. The man who adver¬ 
tises shows not only a business talent above his neighbors, 
but he may be at once reckoned among the independent, 
generous, and public-spirited of the community. He who 
hides his light under a bushel, when such advantages 
as those at present afforded are so freely ofiered him, does 
not deserve to succeed. 

If you have a good live advertisement running through 
any good list of newsjDapers, you have thousands of servants 
out at work for you, whether you wake or sleep, whether 
you be sick or 'well. No monarch’s slaves ever scattered at 
his bidding so fleetly or faithfully, or in such bewildering 
numbers, as the literary messengers that bear your individ- 



26 


uul word to the people of this great nation. 

Small advertisements, and plenty of them, is a good rule. 
We were all babies once, yet we made considerable noise. 

Quitting advertising in dull times is like tearing out a 
dam because the water is low. Either plan will prevent 
good times from ever coming. 

That was a profound philosopher who compared advertis¬ 
ing to a growing crop. He said; “the fanner plants his 
seed, and while he is sleeping the corn is growing. So with 
advertising. While you are sleej^ing or eating, your adver¬ 
tisement is being read by thousands of persons who never 
saw you or heard of your business, never wnuld, had it not 
been for yoar advertising.’’ 

Judicious advertising always pays. 

If you have a good thing, advertise it. If you havn’t, don’t. 

Hever run dowm your opponent’s goods in public. Let 
him do his own advertising. 

It’s as true of advertising as of anything else in this 
world—if it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well. 

We don’t recommend advertising as the best way to get 
a wife; but w^e know it is the best w^ay to get a good trade. 

You can’t eat enough in one week to last a whole year, 
and you can’t advertise on that plan either. 

Injudicious advertising is like fishing where there’s no fish. 
You need to let the lines fall in the right place. 

A constant dropping will wear a rock. Keep dropping 
your advertisements on the public and they will soon melt 
under it like rock salt. 

Large type isn’t necessary in advertising. Blind folks 
don’t read new^spapers. 

If you can arouse curiosity by an advertisement it is a 
great point gained. The fair sex don’t hold all the curiosity 
in the world. 


27 


Don’t be afraid to invest in printers’ ink, lest your sands 
of life be nearly run out. 

When you advertise, see that you do it on the same prin¬ 
ciple that you buy goods. Get the most you can for the 
money. 

People who advertise only once in three months forget 
that most folks can't remember anything longer than about 
seven davs. 

C/ 

When people see a man advertise they know he is a busi¬ 
ness man, and his advertising proclaims that he is not above 
business, but anxious to do it. 

‘‘Dull times,” it is said, “are the best for advertisers.” 
Because when money is tight and people are forced to econ¬ 
omize, they always read the advertisements to ascertain who 
sells the cheapest, and where they can trade to the best ad¬ 
vantage. 

Some say that it is no use for them to advertise; that 
they have been in the place in business all their lives, and 
everybody knows them. Such people forget to take into 
consideration that our country is increasing in population 
nearly forty per cent, every ten years, and no matter how 
old the place may be there are constant changes taking place; 
some move to other parts, and strangers fill their places. In 
this age of the world, unless the name of a business firm, is 
kept constantly before the public, some new firm may start 
up, and by liberally advertising, in a very short time take 
the place of the older ones, and the latter rust out, as it were, 
and be forgotten. 


THE WAY TO ADVERTISE 

P. T. Barnum was once considered the man who under¬ 
stood how to advertise if any one did. He says: 

“We all depend, more or less, upon the public for our 



28 


support. We all trade witli the public—lawyers, doctors, 
shoemakers, artists, blacksmiths, showmen, opera-singers, 
railroad presidents, and college professors. Those who deal 
with the public must be careful that their goods are valua¬ 
ble; that they arc genuine and wdll give satisfaction. 
When you get an article which you know is going to 
please your customers, and that, they have tried it, they will 
feel they have got their money’s worth, then let the fact be 
known that you have got it. Be careful to adv-rtise in 
some shajDe or other, because it is evident that if a man has 
ever so good an article for sale, and nobody knows it, it will 
bring him no return. In a country like this, where nearly 
everybody reads, and where newspapers are issued and cir¬ 
culated in editions of five thousands to two hundred thou¬ 
sand, it would be very unwise if this channel was not taken 
advantage of to reach the public in advertising. A news¬ 
paper goes into the family and is read by wife and children, 
as well as the head of the house; hence hundreds and thou¬ 
sands of people may read your advertisement while you are 
attending to your routine of business. Many, perhaps, read 
it while you are asleep. The whole philosophy of life is, 
first ^sow,’ then ‘reap.’ That is the way the farmer does; 
he plants his potatoes and corn, and sows his grain, and then 
goes about something else, and the time comes when he 
reaps. But he never reaps first and sows afterwards. This 
principle applies to all kinds of business, and to nothing 
more eminently than to advertising. If a man has a genu¬ 
ine article, there is no way in which he can reap more ad¬ 
vantageously than by ‘sowing’ to the public in this way. 
He must, of course, have a really good article, and one 
which will please his customers; anything spurious will not 
succeed permanently, because the public is wiser than many 
imagine. Men and women are selfish, and we all prefer 


29 


purchasing where we can get the most for our money; and 
we try to find out wliere we can most surely do so. 

1 ou may advertise a spurious article, and induce many 
people to call and buy it once, but they will denounce you 
as an impostor and swindler, and your business will gradu¬ 
ally die out and leave you poor. This is right. 

A man who advertises at all must keep it up until the 
public know who and what he is, and what his business is, 
or else the money invested in advertising is lost.” 

Mr. Charles Knox, the Kew York Hatter, is considered 
a successful advertiser. He has always advertised liberally 
and persistently; he always keeps his name and wares be¬ 
fore the people. He is a great friend of the “special notice” 
column of the newspapers, and has the faculty of making 
his advertisements short, pithy, popular, readable and at¬ 
tractive. This is done by always connecting them with 
some topic or event which is the conversation of the hour. 
The following may be taken as samples: 

“Although Queen Isabella has lost her crown, the crowns 
of Knox’s hats never come out.” 

“If Miss Kellogg ever marries, she will prefer a man 
who wears Knox’s hats.” 

“The Grecian bend may do for the ladies, but all gentle¬ 
men wear Knox’s hats.” 

Tlie result is, everybody sees them, reads them, and re¬ 
members that Mr. Knox is the hatter. Kothing but a good 
and fashionable article is ofiered for sale, and the customer 
goes away satisfied. 

A shrewd business man once advertised a trilling article 
in a manner which could scarcely prove remunerative. His 
neighbors expressed their regret at his folly, bat he appeared 
contented. Though his gross sales of the article did not 
cover the cost of his advertising, he attracted a new class of 


30 


people to his store, and his shrewdness paid him in a very 
short time, for new eyes saw what he had to offer in addition 
to the specialty advertised, and new pnrses came under con¬ 
tribution to him.” 

‘^According to the character or extent of your business, set 
aside a liberal percentage for advertising. Keej) yourself 
unceasingly before the public; and it matters not what bu¬ 
siness of utility you may be engaged in, for, if intelligently 
and industriously pursued, a fortune will be the result.” 

Let your advertisements have something of the dash in 
them, without great exaggeration. 

A man should do for his advertising something as he does 
for his stock of goods—arrange it so as to attract attention 
by its novelty, variety and good taste. 

There are thousands of new and untried methods of judi¬ 
cious advertising; there are thousands of novel methods of 
attracting the attention of the public to yoiir article and 
convincing them that it is the best. Doubtless ideas, with 
money in them, occur daily to seven out of ten of those 
who read this paragraph. The ‘^something wanting” seems 
to be a power of realizCLtion* The old ^“recipe” for re¬ 
moving doubt and difficulty is: 

1. Get all the facts you can. 

2. Demove extraneous ideas. 

3. Calculate the probabilities. 

4. Allow a wide margin for accidents, &c. 

5. Then put on steam and 

ADVERTISE UNTIL PEOPLE CALL YOU INSANE; then keep OD 

advertising, and the fickle goddess will smile. 

THE NECESSITY OF PERSISTENT ADVERTISING. 

Successful advertisers differ about the way and manner 



in which advertising should be done, bnt all agree that it 
pajs-pays largely. They can, however, rarely decide what 
particular style pays best. The only point upon which they 
are unanimous is that to keep advertising is the rule. 

The result of all experience thus far is then, that the most 
PERSISTENT advertiser will prove the most successful. 

Go among great advertisers, talk with them, ask advice, 
get at their ideas. All will admit that advertising pays, 
that it is sure, although often slow . All will differ as to 
the method, but to three things all will be found unani- 
■ mously to agree. 

1st That the main thing is to keep advertising. 

2d That the newspaper is the only legitimate advertising 
medium. 

3d That the new man without experience, but with a good 
thing, and a determination to make it go, is quite as sure 
of success as the man of experience. 

In short, experience teaches advertisers little beyond the 
fact that the better known any article or thing is, the more 
certain is it to repay investments in advertising to make 
it still better known. 

The more any article of merchandise, any trade mark or 
copyright, any banking house, insurance company, or bus¬ 
iness firm has been advertised, the better known it may 
have become, the better will it pay to advertise them further. 

If any one knows your firm to be the best in your pecu¬ 
liar line, everybody becomes your good and willing refer¬ 
ence, and everybody’s friend, who had thought of going to 
some rival house because he knows not of you, will, on speak¬ 
ing of his determination, have your name pronounced to 
him with commendation. In fact, the man who is thor- 
ou’ghly advertised must continue to thoroughly advertise; 
but having once made his name a household word lie re- 


32 


ceives inucli gratuitous advertising from the great public, 
always desirous of helping those who have plainly shown 
that they need no help. 

- 00 - 

//6>jr SOME MEN BECOME RICH. 

"VYe make the folio winextract from the recent lecture of 
the celebrated biographer Mr. James Parton, on ^‘Kings of 
Business.” The house of Isaac Pich & Co., of Boston, is 
now the leadino^ house in the hsh trade of that city, and has 
a reputation for fair and honorable dealing co-extensive with 
the continent: 

Isaac Pich, who left a million and three-quarters a year 
or two ago to found a college in Boston, began business 
thus: At 18 he came from Cape Cod to Boston with $3 
or $4 in his possession, and looked about for something to 
do, rising early, walking far, observing closely, reflecting 
much. Soon he had an idea: lie bought three bushels of 
oysters, hired a wheelbarrow, found a piece of board, bought 
six small plates, six iron forks, a three-cent pepper-box, and 
one or two other things. He was at the oyster-boat buying 
his oysters, at three o’clock in the morning, wheeled them 
three miles, set up his board near a market and began bu¬ 
siness. He sold out his oysters as fast as he could open them 
at a good profit. He repeated this experiment morning 
after morning until he had saved $130, wdth which he 
bought a horse and wagon, and had five cents left. 

“How are you going to board your horse?” asked a stable- 
keeper, who witnessed this audacious transaction. 

“I am going to board him at your stable.” 

“But you’re a minor,” replied this acute yankee. “and, 
mind, I can’t trust you more than a week.” The next morn¬ 
ing the lad who had established a good credit with oystermeii 




bought thirteen bushels of remarhablv fine cvsters. which 

he sold in the course of the day at a profit of $17. So he 
was able to pay for his liorse’s board. And right there in 
the same market he continued to deal in oysters and fish 
for forty years, became king of that business, and ended by 
founding a college; thus affording a new illustration of Prof. 
Agassiz’s theory that the consumption offish is serviceable 
to tlie brain. 


BUSINESS MAXIMS FOR BUSINESS MEN. 

1. After the feast the giver shakes his head. 

2. The sleeping fox catches no poultry. 

3. Creditors have excellent memories. 

4. Caution is the father of security. 

5. He who pays before-hand is served behind-hand. 

6. If you would know the value of a dollar try to borrow 

one. 

7. Great bai’gains have ruined many. 

8. Be silent when a fool talks. 

9. Give a foolish talker rope enough and he will hang 

himself. 

10. Hever speak boastingly of your business. 

11. It is hard for the hungry man to wait when he smells 

the roast meat. 

12. An hour of triumph comes at last to them wlio watch 

and wait. 

13. Word by word AVebster’s big Dictionary was made. 

14. Speak well of your friends—of your enemies say noth¬ 

ing. 

15. hTever take back a discharged servant. 

16. Tf you post your servants upon your affairs they will 

one day rend 3X)u. 



17. 'No man can be successful who neglects liis business. 

18. Do not waste time in useless regrets over losses. 

19. Systematize your business and keep an eye on little ex¬ 

penses. Small leaks sink great ships. 

20. k^ever fail to take a receipt for money paid, and keep 

coj)ies of your letters. 

21. Do your business promptly, and bore not a business 

man with long visits. 

22. Law is a trade in which the lawyers eat the oysters 

and leave the clients the shells. 

Dothschild, the founder of the world-renowned house of 
Rothschild & Co., ascribed his success to the following: 

ISTever have anything to do with an unlucky man. 

Be cautious and bold. 

Make a bargain at once. 

- 00 - 

BUSIJ'/ESS LAW 

The following brief compilation of business law is worth a 
careful preservation, as it contains the essence of a large 
amount of legal verbiage: 

It is not legally necessary to say on a note “for value re¬ 
ceived.” 

A note made on Sunday is void. 

Contracts made on Sunday cannot be enforced. 

A note by a minor is void. 

A contract made with a minor is void. 

A contract made with a lunatic is void. 

If a note is lost or stolen, it does not release the maker; 
he must pay it, if the consideration for which it was given 
and the amount can be proven. 

An endorser of a note is exempt from liability if iiot 
served with note of dishonor within twenty-four hours of its 




35 


non-pnyment. 

Notes bear interest only when so stated. 

Princi]mls are i-esponsible for the acts of their agents. 

Each individual in a partnership is responsible for the 
whole amount of the debts of the lirm. 

Ignorance of the law excuses no one. 

It is a fraud to conceal a fraud. 

The law compels no one to do impossibilities. 

An agreement Avitliout consideration is void. 

Signatures made with a lead pencil are good in law. 

A receipt for money is not always conclusive. 

Tlie acts of one partner binds all the rest 

-oo- 

TO MAKE A GOOD COLLECTOR, 

Be on time to a minute when the debtor says ^^come to¬ 
morrow at 9 o’clock.” 

Sit on the steps and wait for his return when he says, ‘T 
am just going to dinner.” 

Insist on stepping out to make change when the man 
'•‘has nothing less than a twenty,” 

Go to an ‘•‘old stager” every day for a month with a cheer¬ 
ful countenance “about that little account.” 

Don’t mind edging into a crowd to ask a fellow. 

Taka a dollar in part if you can’t get ten in whole, and 
“credit it” with alacrity. 

Always suggest a check when the money is not in hand, 
as he can get it “cashed” to-morrow. 

Always have that account “on top” so the man can have 
no excuse for putting you off. 

Don’t mind asking for it immediately after being “treat¬ 
ed”—or pleasantly entertained. 

Never be in a hurry, “will wait till you get through.” 




86 


Cough or salute when the '‘hard case’’ wants to pass 
without seeing you. 

In fine—be patient as a post, cheerful as a duck, sociable 
as a fiea, bold as a lion, wnather-proof as a rubber, cunning 
as a fox, and watchful as a sparrow hawk. 

- 00 - 

PRESCRIPTION FOR HARD TIMES. 

Be economical in your expenditures without being dost;. 

Keep cool yourself. 

Try to keep others cool. 

Be generous in employing others, if their labor will pay 
actual expenses. 

Ilemembei’, the more actively money circulates the bet¬ 
ter, therefore do not hoard up your currency. 

Pay your just dues promptly. 

Be accommodating to your debtors. Giv^e time for j^ay- 
ment of a debt if it can be done without imperilling your 
own credit, 

Abandon the credit system as fiir as possible. Stick to 
the cash system if you are following it already. Buy noth¬ 
ing on credit that is not absolutely necessary. 

Above ah things, keep busy. Have either hands or mind 
occupied in something useful. 

- 00 - 

HO IV TO SUCCEED. 

If your seat is too hard to sit upon, stand up. If a rock 
rises up before you, roll it away or climb over it. If you 
want money earn it. If you wdsh for confidence, prove 
yourself wmrthy of it. It takes longer to skin an elephant 
than it does a mouse, but the skin is wx)rth somethin^’ 
Do not be content 'with doing 'svhat another has done—sur- 






pass it. Deserve success, and it will come. Tlie boy was 
not born a man. The sun does not rise like a rocket, or e’o 
down like a bullet tired from a gun; slowly but surely it 
makes its round, and never tires. It is as easy to be a lead¬ 
er as a wheel-horse. If the job be long, the pay will be 
greater; if the task be hard, the more competent you must 
be to do it. 


- 00 - 

DON^T EXPECT TOO MUCH. 

There was something pathetic in the position of the Ger¬ 
man florist, who, in the bitterness of his heart, exclaimed: 
"T have so much drouble mit de ladies ven dey come to buy 
mine roses; dey vants him hardy, dey vants him doubles, 
dey vants him fragrant, dey vants him nice golour, dey vants 
liim eberydmg in one rose. I hopes I am not vat you call 
one ungallant man. but I have sometimes to say to dat la¬ 
dies, ‘‘Madame, I never often see ladies dat vas beautiful, 
dat vas rich, dat vas good temper, dat vas young, dat vas 
clever, dat vas perfection, in one ladies. I see her not much.*’ 


Let every man be occupied, and occupied in the highest 
employment of which his nature is capable, and die with 
the consciousness that lie has done his best. 

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what 
you can do well, without a thought of fame. 

Our motive power is always found in wdiat we lack. 

Success in most things depends on knowing how long it 
takes to succeed. 

No man is rich whose expenditures exceed his means; yet 
no one is poor whose incomings exceed his outgoings. 





HEALTH 


- 00 - 

BATHS 

Healing Power of Water. Water constitutes not 
only the greater portion of the human body, but is the me¬ 
dium of circulation, nutrition, excretion, and ] 3 nritication, 
and bears with it a large amount of electricity. Prof. Far¬ 
aday says ten drops of water contain electricity enough to 
make a sheet of lii^htnino^. When warm it communicates 
magnetism in its coarser form. Hot water alone would 
relax and weaken. Cold water is the element of stimulus, 
and the system may be gradually toned up and tired n]^ 
with so much internal heat as to endure a large amount 0 i 
cold water. But the law of harmony will guide in this, 
and show that both should be used. 

Who should Bathe. All should bathe more or less, of 
course, to keep the skin open and clean, but those who are 
pale and thin and nervous must not bathe too frequently, 
as the water will be apt to conduct away some of their vi¬ 
tality, and will not give them the magnetic element which 
they most need. Such should depend partly upon TOugii 
towels or flesh brushes to keep clean. Fleshy and full- 
blooded persons, whose circulation is dormant, should have 
frequent baths. 

How to Bathe. Feeble persons can stand but a very 
little cold water at flrst, not having suflicient vitality to get 
up reaction, and if they are subject to pressure at the heart. 





very hot water will not answer except at the feet. Those 
who have chronic diseases, and a dormant system generally, 
and wish to rouse up new action, can succeed finely hy get¬ 
ting into water as hot as they can endure for a few minutes, 
then take a dash of cool water, then wipe dry in a hurry, 
get into warm blankets, and he manipulated all over until 
the perspiration comes. It is always safer and more 
strengthening to have all hot baths end off with cool water, 
unless one is too weak, and is troubled with some liabilitv 

' t/ 

to congestion. A cold dash or a few seconds in cold water 
will frequently get up a great heat, but to remain some 
time in cold water will destroy the heat already possessed. 
Why these opposite effects? Because on the principle that 
OPPOSITES ATTRACT, the electricity of the water draws the 
warm magnetism of the body to the surface and creates a 
glow, but if continued too long so much of it will escape 
into the water as to cause a chill and a loss of power. 

When to Bathe. A full bath should never be taken 
under two or three hours after eating, and not immediately 
after copious drinking. A cool bath is much better on ri¬ 
sing in the morning than when retiring, as it is easier to get 
uj) a reaction when the system is fresh. Avoid bathing 
when very weary. From half-past ten to eleven in the fore¬ 
noon is quite as good a time as any. Plunges, or baths 
that shock should be avoided during periods of congestion, 
menstruation, or of special excitement. 

A IIand-bath in cool water, over the whole system, is 
capital, on getting up in the morning. If weak and liable 
to catch cold, touch merely the ends of the wet fingers to 
the body a few seconds, then wipe with coarse towel, and 
rub briskly with hands all over. The electricity will stim¬ 
ulate you. If stronger, apply the whole hands. This equal¬ 
izes the magnetism far better than a sponge-bath. 


40 


Wet Pack. Place on a bed two or three comfortables, 
then a pair of blankets; partially wring a sheet ont ot cool 
Avater and place it upon them. The patient, nnde, should 
then lie flat upon his back upon them, and liaA^e the A\diole 
Avrapped around him immediately. Lay AA’et cloths on his 
forehead, ami keep feet AA'arm. Time from 15 to 60 min¬ 
utes. He slnnald not lie long after perspiration commences. 
AfterAA'ards sponge off and rub. This is admirable for 
extracting impurities from the system, and especially for 
subdnino^ a hio-li fever AAdien near its crisis, but not after- 
Avards. A Avarm pack is best for Aveak persons, or in erup- 
tiA^e fsA^ers until the eiuption is brought out. 

Compresses. These are Avet cloths or bandages usually 
put OA^er any hot, sore, or inflamed part, and reneAved Avdien 
they become dry or Avarm. Pry toAA^els placed OA^er these 
will preA^ent the vital heat from escaping too much, and 
prevent catching cold. Judge someAAdiat by the AA^ay it 
affects you. 

Fomentations. For these flannel cloths dipped in AA^a- 
ter, as hot as can be borne, and Avrung nearly dry in anoth¬ 
er cloth, are best. This Avill steam the part moderately, 
and used fiA^e to fifteen minutes Avill greatly soothe pains, 
cramps, convulsions, neiwous headache, and AAdian over the 
l)OAcels and loAver abdomen, counteracts costiveness, colic, 
painful menstruation, hysteria, etc. It is more suitable for 
a dormant condition than for inflammation, unless it be a 
negative inflammation. 

Foot-bath. In cases of nervousness, headache, sleep¬ 
lessness, and cold feet, a decidedly hot foot-bath, for fiA^e min¬ 
utes, folloAved by a cold dash, wiping and rubbing on the 
bottom, is highly useful. 

Sitz-batii. This may be given in a small AA^ash-tiib or 
sitz-tub, in Avater, say four^to six inches deep. In case of 


41 


the dormant condition of the lower abdomen, painful men¬ 
struation, etc., a hot bath is l)est; but in case of inflamma¬ 
tion, or too great heat, a cool bath is best. Throw blankets 
over the shoulders rub and knead the abdomen, etc. Time, 
flve to fifteen minutes.— Babbitt’s Health Guide. 

- 00 - 

GENERAL RULES OF HEALTH. 

The following are a few general rules which now apjDear 
to me to be based upon experience and physiological knowl¬ 
edge. But upon many important matters, high authorities 
differ greatly; moreover, no two persons are j)recisely alike, 
and there must be exceptions to any but the most genera] 
rules. 

Under ordinary circumstances, we may keep or regain 
health by proper care of the body. Proper care consists 
in the taking of wholesome food in sufficient quantity, and 
at proper intervals; in the use of pure water; in breathing 
good air; in cleanliness; in the avoidance of unnecessarv 
excess of every kind; and in taking plenty of sleej:). 

Prevention is better than cure; we should aim to avoid 
disease, and when ill, trust as far as possible to ISTature, aid¬ 
ing her efforts by proper care and nursing; the majority of 
diseases tend to get well of themselves, and in such cases 
drugs may do more harm than good. Indiscriminate med¬ 
ication upon the advice of friends and neighbors is foolish, 
and may do great harm. A ^q3anacea,” or ‘^cure-all” is a 
prima facie humbug, and secret medicines are always to be 
suspected. The wisest and most successful physicians are 
those who depend the least upon drugs, who make no mys¬ 
tery of their practise, and who, regarding medicine as at 
best a necessary evil, instruct their patients how to avoid 
disease, anf. how to relieve themselves when ill. 




42 


FOOD AND DFJNX. 

1. Food should he palatable, and not higlily seasoned; it 
Bhoiild consist of more than one, bnt not of many articles; 
it should vary in quality and quantity, according to age, cli¬ 
mate, weather, and occupation. Sugars, starches and fats 
cont;iin a large proportion of carbon, and are thought to he 
more heating and less nutritious; alhumoids contain nitro- 
iren, and are thought to he more nutritious. The whole 
(unbolted), or partially bolted grains, are found to be good 
for dogs, horses, and men, but nature demands variety. As 
a rule, carnivora are not wholesome food. Hot, soft bread 
digests slowly. - 

2. Bad cooking may spoil good food. Avoid frying 
meat; boil, roast, or broil it, beginning with a high heat; 
but for soups, begin lukewarm. 

Three full meals daily are customary, and may be nat¬ 
ural; but their number, their relative quantity and quality, 
and the intervals between them, are largely matters of opin¬ 
ion,-habit and convenience; regularity is very important. 
Avoid all “lunches” so called. 

4. Eat something within an hour after rising, especially 
if obliged to labor or study, but avoid both of these before 
breakfast, if possible, and particularly exposure to malaria 
or contagion. 

5. Let the amount of a meal bear some relation to future 
needs as well as present appetite, but it is better to carry an 
extra pound in your pocket than in your stomach. 

6. Eat in pure air and pleasant company; light conversa¬ 
tion and gentle exercise promote digestion, but hard work 
of any kind retards it. Avoid severe bodily or mental la¬ 
bor just before, and for two hours after a full meal. 

7. Eat slowly; masticate well; five minutes more at din- 



43 


iier maj give you better use of an hour afterward. Drink 
little at meals and never a full glass of very liot or very cold 
liquid. ISTever wash down a moutliful. Avoid waste of 
saliva by expectoration. 

8. Evacuate tlie bow^els daily, and above all, regularly; 
the best time is after breakfast; partlv to be rid of a physi¬ 
cal burden during the day, but chiefly to relieve the brain. 

9. Constipation is safer than diarrhea. For the former, 
exercise, ride horseback, take a glass of cold water before 
breakfast, eat fruit and laxative food; for the latter, follow 
an opposite course: toast, crust, crackers, and rice are then 
the best food. 


AIR 

10. Breathe through the nose, especially in the cold. 
Prevent snoring, by a bandage under the jaw and over the 
head. 

11. Heating should not interfere with ventilation; the 
best method is by a hot-air furnace and a small open fire¬ 
place ; in all cases, there should be an opening for the egress 
as well as the ingress of air. 

12. A constrained position of the body may lessen the 
capacity of the lungs. 

13. In ajDnoea (from hanging or drowning), restore respi¬ 
ration first, circulation afterward; the former by movements 
of the arms and body, the latter by heat and friction. 

14. Keej) the temperature of a sitting-room at from six¬ 
ty-five to seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid a draft, 

15. Air sleeping-rooms and bedding early; never sleep in 
tlie under clothing of the day. 

16. Prefer a sunny room. 


4 


44 


DRESS. 

17. Fabrics are not warm of themselves, but in proportion 
to their properties as non-conductors of heat j silk is the poor¬ 
est conductor, next wool, next cotton, and linen being the 
best conductor makes the coolest garments. It is safe to 
wear a silk or merino vest next to the skin in all weathers. 

18. More clothing is needed while sleeping, or at rest, 
than while awake and active. 

19. Clothing should not compress the body. 

SLEEP, STUDY, AND EXERCISE. 

20. During sleep the waste of the body, and especially of 
the brain, is repaired; we should retire early, say at 10 p.m., 
and get sleep enough, so as to be fresh next day; if obliged 
to lose sleep, make it up. 

21. The best time for hard study is in the forenoon; the 
next best, the evening; the next, the afternoon; the worst 
and most injurious are after 10 p.m. and before breakfast. 
Studv hard for an hour, then rest a few moments. 

22. The student should take a short walk after each meal, 
and longer ones, or work or other exercise, in the afternoon. 
Riding horse-back is the most perfect exercise for students; 
walking should have an object, and be taken in pleasant 
comjiany. 

23. Games are often canled to excess, so as to do more 
harm than good; the same is true of heavy gymnastics. 
Agility is better than great strength; and it is not certain 
that the man under training is in a normal or healthy con¬ 
dition. 


THE SENSES. 

24. Avoid sudden glares of light, and loud sounds. Xev- 



er look directly at the sun; fine print is injurious; light 
should be both sufficient and steady. ‘ 

25. For dust in the eyes, avoid rubbing; dash water into 
them; remove cinders, etc., with the round 2 :)oint of a lead 
pencil. 

26. Femove insects from the ear by te])id water; never 
put a hard instrument into the ear. 

ACCIDENTS, ETC. 

27. In all cases, keep cool; and if alone, do what you can 
at once. 

28. If an aiteiy is cut, compress above the wound; if a 
vein is cut, compress below. 

29. If choked get upon all fours and cough. 

30. For slight burns, dip the parts in cold water; if the 
skin is destroyed, cover with varnish. 

31. Smother a fire with carpets, etc., water will often 
spread burning oil, and increase the danger. Before pass¬ 
ing through smoke, take a full breath and then stoop low, 
but if carbon is suspected, walk erect. 

32. Suck poisoned wounds, unless your mouth is sore; 
enlarge the wound, or better, cut out the part without de¬ 
lay; hold wounded i^art as near as can be borne to a hot 
eoal, or end of a cigar. 

33. In case of 2 >oisoning, excite vomiting by tickling the 
throat, by warm water and mustard. 

31. For acid poisons give alkalies; for alkaline poisons, 
give acids; white of egg is good in most cases; in case of 
opium-poisoning, give strong coffee, and keep moving. 

35. If in the water, float on the back, with the nose and 
mouth projecting. 

36. Never strike the head or hands in punishment; avoid 
<rivino' or taking; a blow in the pit of the stomach. 

O' O O A 


4C 


BAD BREATH. 

There are three sources of bad breath:— 

First, the mouth. 

Second, the nose. 

Tliird, the lungs. 

Of twenty cases of bad breath, I estimate that fifteen come 
from the mouth, one from the nose, and four from the lungs. 

As generally, when the mouth is at fault the lungs con¬ 
tribute something to the odor, the above definite classifica¬ 
tion, is probably too jDrecise; but I think it a close approx¬ 
imation to the truth. 

The Mouth.—I need hardly argue that rotten teeth and 
diseased gums may produce a bad breath. I have but 
rarely met a case in which the teeth were white and the 
gums healthy. In every case of bad breath the mouth is 
to be suspected and examined. In a majority of cases, you 
smell nothing while the patient keeps his mouth shut, and 
breathes through his nose; but as soon as he begins to 
speak, then it comes. 

That man must go at once to the dentist. He is the doc¬ 
tor for the mouth. He will remove everv cause of offence 

*/• 

from that cavity. 

The Hose.—The vealous forms of catarrh are more or less 
productive of bad odors. Ozena, which is tlie worst form 
of catarrh, produces a peculiar and sickening odor. 

The cure of this malady is somewhat difficult, but the odor 
ar sing from it can be mitigated by a thorough cleansing of 
til3 nose with water, or soap and w^ater, several times a day. 
But a cure should be sought, and let it not be sought at the 
hands of one of the advertising catarrh quacks. 

The Lungs.—A man eats and drinks, say five pounds in 
a day. How, unless he is gaining weight, he must part 


47 


c 

with five pounds. If we place on the scales all that comes 
from his bowels and bladder, we shall find it weighs, sav, 
one pound and a half. Three pounds and a half have left 
the body in some other way or other ways. These other 
ways are the skin and lungs. By fiu’ the larger part should 
escape through the skin. Sometimes the millions of holes 
in the skin, through which this worn-out, efiete matter 
should escape, become in part closed, from lack of bathing 
and perspiration; and this efiete matter cannot escape free¬ 
ly in that v/ay. But the poisonous stuff must be gotten rid 
of in some way. .How the lungs come in to supplement 
the skin. To a certain extent, the lungs and skin are ever 
ready to substitute for each other. If the lungs, for any 
lieason, leave a small part of their duty undone, the skin at 
once steps in to assist. If the skin fails to accomplish its 
whole task of the work of excretion, the lungs are ever ready 
to assist in working off impurities. But, whenever the lungs 
are obliged to perform this extra service, they cannot do it 
as well as the skin. They are obliged to work off* impuri¬ 
ties which do not belong to their department, and so they 
take on a morbid condition, and the excretions are so 
chan 2 :ed in character as to become offensive. 

Three persons out of every four whose bad breath comes 
from their lungs, can cure themselves, or greatly mitigate 
the nuisance by washing themselves all over with soap and 
water, and following this by the vigorous use of rough tow¬ 
els every day for a month, and exercising at least once a day, 
till there is free perspiration. By this time, the impurities 
which should escape through the skin have free escape in 
their natural course, and the lungs return to their own prop¬ 
er work, and the disagreeable odor disappears. 

In a small proportion of the cases in Avhich the bad breath 
conics from the lungs, the difficulty is in a foul condition 


I 


4S 


of the system, and not dependent upon tlie condition of the 
skin. In such cases, the whole system must he cleansed 
before the bad breath can be removed. 

Let us review. In twenty cases of bad breath, fifteen 
cases come from the month. The dentist will remove all 
that trouble. 

One case comes from nasal catarrh. Use a syringe to 
cleanse the nasal passages several times a day; and culti¬ 
vate a healthy stomach. If the stomach be rightly man¬ 
aged, catarrh generally disaj^pears. 

Four cases come from the lungs. Open the skin by thor¬ 
ough bathing with soap and water, and by frequent perspi¬ 
ration, and the badness of breath which comes from the 
lungs will generally disappear.— Home Guardian- 

- 00 - 

MRS WINSLOW'S SOOTHING SIN UP. 

This soothing syrup contains, as its active principle, a 
large portion of morphia. It is estimated that the people 
of this country consume yearly nearly one million ounces 
of this nostrum, each ounce of which contains about one 
grain of morphia. Fifteen million grains of moiqdiia year¬ 
ly for American babies, and that, too, given by persons ig¬ 
norant of its effects. Dr. W. F. MciSTutt, of California, 
speaking of it, says, “My attention was first called to the 
baneful effects and the enormous consumption of this nos¬ 
trum by an article in the November, ’69, number of The 
California Medical Gazette, by Dr. Murray, U. S. A. Dr. 
Murray had been called to see a child, aged six months, ap¬ 
parently in a dying condition from the effects of some nar¬ 
cotic iDoison. He found that this Soothing Syrup was the 
only medicine whicli had l)een administered, and of it the 





40 


child had taken two teaspoonfiils within ten hours. There 
was remaining in the vial from which the two teaspoonfuls 
had been taken, ten drachms, which yielded, on analysis by 
a skilltnl chemist, nearly one grain of morj^hia and other 
opium alkaloids to the ounce of syrup. “The specimen of 
Soothing Syrup analyzed was made by Curtis & Perkins, 
of Kew T ork, who are the only manufacturers.” 

^ On the 7th of February, Mrs. W. came into my office 
with a child five months old in her arms, which, she said, 
was very sick; that it slept constantly, and would not nurse 
or move for several days. The child was breathing heavily, 
and its pupils were closely contracted. I asked if the child 
had been taking opium; she replied that it had taken noth¬ 
ing but soothing syrup. She said that on the 5th, two days 
before, the child was restless and its bowels costive, and that 
a neighbor had advised her to give it a teaspoonful of sooth¬ 
ing syrup, saying it was excellent to regulate the bowels. 
(She had previously given the syrup in small doses.) She 
administered the syrup twice during the day, a teaspoonful 
each time; the child slept heavily rdl night, and would not 
nurse when roused. FTot suspecting the syrup had any 
thing to do with its sleeping, she gave on the 6th, at differ¬ 
ent times, three teaspoonfiils more.. The child refused to 
nurse, when roused. On the 7th, she gave it another tea¬ 
spoonful, before bringing it to my office. I told her that 
the child w^as poisoned by morphia, of which soothing syr¬ 
up contained a large quantity. The mother had no idea 
that there was morphia in soothing syrup. 

Dr. P. S. Maxwell, my partner, was called to see a child 
five weeks old, to whom half a teasjioonful of soothing syrup 
had been given a few hours previous. The child was already 
past all help, and died in a few hours. No other medicine 
had been given. 


/ 


50 


In my own case, the child five months old had tahen two 
teaspoonfiils on the 5th, three on the 6th. and one on the 7th, 
making six teaspoonfuls from 10 o’clock on the 5th until 
8 A. M. on the 7th; consecpiently it got over half a grain ot 
morphia in the space of forty-six hours. As sasce]3tible as 
children are to the influence of opium, it seems almost im- 
posihle that the child could have lived. In fact, we know 
that it could not have lived had not the tolerance of the poi¬ 
son been induced by the 23revious doses in lesser quantities. 
We may add that there are very few children at the age of 
six months who would not be poisoned to death, were they 
to take the syrup as directed (namely, six months old and 
upward, one teaspoonful three or four times a day until free 
from pain), unless a tolerance of the drug be induced by its 
previous administration in small doses. The morphia in a 
teaspoonfnl of soothing syrup is equal to about twenty drops 
of laudanum. Here we have thousands of mothers and nur¬ 
ses, ignorant alike of the ingredients and the effects of this 
deadly nostrum, directed to give a child six months old 
moiqfliia equal to twenty drops of laudanum. 

- 00 - 

now TO PREY ENT SMALL-POX WITHOUT 

VACCINATION. 

They Avho make use of vaccination introduce a thousand 
evils into the system for the sake of preventing one. There 
is another way, but humanity will hardly be prone to make 
use of it. It is this: If the human body was not obliged 
to work over, through the stomach, and through the various 
organs that make up organic life, particles which are inim¬ 
ical to health in the way of food, there would be one barrier 
against small-230x; in other words, if you would live prop¬ 
erly, if you would take proper and not improper/ood; and 




51 


it all liurnaii bodies would subject tbeiiiselvcs to a 
daily batli, tliei’e would be another preventive. Water, 
fresh air, and proper food, would be the very best preven¬ 
tives known in all nature against sin all-pox and other con¬ 
tagious diseases. Medical records show us that this process 
of vaccination is anything but a blessing. The records of 
one of the largest hospitals in Germany jirove to us that 
two-thirds of all pulmonary consumption may be traced di¬ 
rectly to vaccination. Four-fifths of all those combinations 
of diseases known under the name of scrofula may be traced 
directly to vaccination; and so I miglit go on, filling up 
the record as this unwise practice has lilled up your grave¬ 
yards, and peopled the spirit-world. Certain medical men 
tell you that tlierc is such a thing as pure vaccine matter. 
They know better. There is not one who is scientifically 
informed but what knows better when he makes the state¬ 
ment. Dr. M-, of Dorchester, knows better, and the 

process which he is going through of taking vaccine matter 
from certain animals which he keeps for that purpose, is 
one of worldly gain, and nothing else. The good of human¬ 
ity has as little to do with it as the affirmations of Jay 
Gould have to do with the i^ood of the Erie ring. Medical 
men of the Old and the New World are getting some wis¬ 
dom upon tliis subject. They are beginning to question 
wdiether this is the best method of preventing small-j^ox. 
They see that it is not an absolute preventive in any case, 
and that there are many pei'sons who, although they have 
passed tlirough the regular process of vaccination, and it 
has done w'ell for them, can take small-pox at any time in 
its most virulent form. All those ernptivc fevers that as¬ 
sume violent types in childhood, in nearl}^ all cases, may be 
traced to vaccination; it is an undeniable fact, that the med¬ 
ical faculty of all nations are beginning to understand. 




Let us thank God tliat they are making a beginning in this 
direction. Small-pox is not so great an evil after all, prop¬ 
erly understood and properly treated—for if one passes suc¬ 
cessfully through it, it makes a clean sweep ot all other 
poisons the system may contain, and leaves you with your 
house swept and garnished. Now vaccination does not do 
this. It introduces a poison which is constantly coursing 
through the veins, breeding evil at every turn, and becomes 
a positive physical death in most instances. 

- 0 ——— 

DISEASE BY VACCINATION. 

The most advanced scientific authority has asserted 

t/ 

that the discovery of vaccination, instead of being the bless¬ 
ing to the human race it has been claimed, becomes even a 
worse scourofe than the disease wdiose ravages it is intended 
to stay. The evidences of it are to be found thickly on 
every side of us. We see persons—old and young, male and 
female, robust and delicate—who are inoculated with the 
virus of other diseases by this practice, and their blood 
permanently poisoned by the impurities which are thus 
ignorantly absorbed into it. So far as vaccination tends to 
check the ravages of small-pox, it may indeed be a success; 
but as a means of introducing other and no less fatal dis¬ 
eases in its stead, it is freely proclaimed by authority that 

cannot be successfullv contradicted the most effectual of 

«/ 

any that can be recalled. In the book, “Flashes of Light,” 
Dr. Doane has furnished ns with his verv distinct and con- 
vincing views on the subject. It is also stated that in 
Oneida, Illinois, erysipelas and other loathsome diseases 
have been develoj^ed in a virulent form of late, by the vac¬ 
cine matter with which the children have been inoculated 
with the view of preventing the small-pox. 




53 


Good scientific authority is ready with its proofs to dem¬ 
onstrate that this disease is far less dano’erous than the 

O 

other horrible diseases which are sown broadcast bv this 
practice of vaccination. We knew that in England mea¬ 
sures were not long ago introduced into Parliament to re¬ 
lease the community from the tyranny of being compelled 
to poison itself in order to escape from one disease by ta¬ 
king on others. Look at some of the numerous diseases and 
aftections that are imported into the human system under 
guise of protecting itself against a disease whose efiects it 
is taught to dread. There are consumption, erysipelas, scrof¬ 
ula, venereal infection, and others; and if none of them re¬ 
sult in death as quickly as the small-pox itself does when 
ignorantly handled, they nevertheless terminate fatally at 
last by undermining the system, and the}" impose upon the 
patient the suffering and agony of living death many times 
told. It is nothing that the virus is said to be taken from 
the arm of a healthy child; that child’s blood may contain 
the disease of previous generations, not yet developed. And 
it is liable to develop those diseases in others even though 
it does not as yet in itself. There is no security in that 
plea whatever. The prevalence of erysipelas and its vari¬ 
ous tendencies may in very large part be ascribed to this 
general practice of vaccination, and they are thus handed 
down from generation to generation. A law is positively 
called for to stay this dreadful evil of ignorance. 

HATS OFF. 

Dio Lewis accounts for the baldness of men in a very sim¬ 
ple way—their habit of keeping the head constantly cov¬ 
ered. He says you never see a man lose a hair below where 
the hat touches the skull. It will take it ofi^‘as clean as you 


54 


can sliave it down to exactly that line, bnt never a hair be¬ 
low, not if he has been bald fifty years. The common black 
stiff hat, as impervious as sheet-iron, retains the heat and 
perspiration. The little hair-glands, which bear the same 
relation to the hair that the seed wheat does to the plant a- 
bove ground, become weak from the moisture and heat, and 
finally become too weak to sustain the hair. It falls out, and 
baldness exists. A man with a ^ood head of hair needs ve- 
ry little protection where the hair grows. ‘^And yet,’’ he 
says, “we men wear immensely thick fur caps, and what a- 
mounts to sheet-iron hats, and do not dare step out in a chil¬ 
ly atmosphere a moment lest we take cold. It is silly, weak, 
and really a serious error. The Creator knew what he was 
about when he covered a man’s skull with hair. It has a 
very important function in protecting the brain. Baldness 
is a serious misfortune. It will never occur in any man 
who will wear such a hat as I do—a common high silk hat 
with five hundred holes through the top, so that there will l)e 
more holes than hat. This costs nothing; the hatter will do 
it when you purchase your hat. 

If the nap be combed back the wrong way, and if after tlie 
holes are made it be combed the right way, no one will ob¬ 
serve the peculiarity. The hat Avill wear quite as long—the 
hatters say considerably longer—because it is dry instead 
of moist; in brief, there is not a single objection to it, while 
it will certainly prevent baldness, keep the top of the head 
cool, and prevent much headache.” 

- 00 - 

UNDERCL O THING. 

The HERALD OF HEALTH I’ccommends white undercloth¬ 
ing, as not only more healthful, but on account of its not 
radiating the heat of the body as some other colors do. An- 




55 


otlier strong incentive is the avoidance of possible poison¬ 
ing from deleterious dyes. The Journal ot Chemistry 
gives an instance of the poisonous effect of aniline colors 
upon the skin in the experienci of a gentleman of Byfield. 
He had, a few days previous, purchased some new under¬ 
shirts of cotton, colored with various tints, among which 
aniline red predominated. In a short time after putting on 
the garment a peculiar eruption, of an irritating nature, ap¬ 
peared on the portion of the body covered by the cloth. 
The effects were not merely local, but to a considerable ex¬ 
tent constitutional, pain and uneasiness being experienced 
in the back and lower extremities. In proof that the erup¬ 
tion was caused by the dye colors, it may be stated that a 
portion of the garment about the upper part of the chest 
was lined with linen on the under side, and wherever this 
came in contact with the skin no eruption or redness ap¬ 
peared. It is not probable, the Jouknal remarks, that the 
number of persons is large who possess such idiosyncracies 
of constitution as to be easily poisoned by dye colors, but 
that there are some does not admit of a doubt. 

-o- 

MEDICAL VALUE OF ASPARAGUS AND CELERT. 

A medical correspondent of an English journal says the 
advantages of asparagus are not sufficiently appreciated by 
those who suffer with rheumatism and p-out. Sliofht cases 
of rheumatism are cured in a few days by feeding on this 
delicious esculent; and more chronic cases are much re¬ 
lieved, especipJly if the patient avoids all acids, whether in 
food or beverage. The Jerusalem artichoke has also a 
similar effect in relieving rheumatism. The heads may be 
eaten in the usual way; but tea made from the leaves of 
the stalk, and drank three or four times a dav, is a certain 




56 


remedy, thougli not equally agreeable. 

So the English paper says. It may be well to remark 
that most plants which grow naturally near the sea coast 
contain more or less iodine, and in all rheumatic com¬ 
plaints iodine has long been a favorite remedy. One who 
was long in the drug business told the writer some years 
ago that many of the popular patent nostrums which some 
disinterested people—“solely for the good of their fellow- 
creatures”—sold at “two dollars a bottle,” consisted simply 
of a few cents’ worth of iodine in solution. 

It is dangerous, however, in over-doses, effecting especial¬ 
ly the eyes. The same effect may be produced by eating 
abundantly of asparagus or celery, which are well-known 
sea-side plants. If these have no effect, the patent specifics 
will not, and in that case a conscientious and intelligent 
physician is the best resort. 

- 00 - 

A NOVEL CURE FOR DTSPEPSIA, 

The following is Dr. Brown-Sequard’s method of treat¬ 
ing dyspepsia, which he claims has been successful, in the 
majority of cases, during the last ten years of his practice: 
The plan consists in giving but very little of solid or fluid 
food or any kind of drink at a time, and giving these things 
at regular intervals of from 10 to 20 or 30 minutes. All 
sorts of food may be taken in that way, but during the 
short period when such a trial is made, it is obvious that 
the fancies of the patient are to be laid aside, and that nour¬ 
ishing food, such as roasted or broiled meat, and especial¬ 
ly beef, mutton, eggs, well-baked bread, and milk, with but¬ 
ter and cheese, and a very moderate quantity of vegetables 
and fruit, ought to constitute the dietary of the patients we 
try to relieve. This plan should be pursued two or three 




57 


weeks, alter wliicli the patient should gradually return to 
the ordinary system of eating three times a day. The most 
varied diet, as regards the kind of food can be followed un¬ 
der this plan as well as when one has only two or three 
meals a day. The only absolutely essential points are that 
the amount ol food taken every 10, le, 20, or 30 minutes 
be very small (from one to four mouthfuls), and that the 
- quantity ol solid food in a day be from 32 to 40 ounces, or a 
little less when, instead of water, thej^atient drinks beef-tea 
or milk. 

- 00 - 

CARE OF THE TEETH. 

If all were aware of the fact that both vegetables and an¬ 
imals effect a lodgement in the interstices of unclean teeth, 
and doiirish in that situation, there would be a more uni¬ 
versal and rigorous administration of the tooth-brush than 
at present prevails. To be sure, the vegetable and animal 
parisites that thrive in the mouth are very minute—miscro- 
scopical in fact; but the very idea, in its most shadowy 
presentation, is repugnant to a refined taste. One of the 
PLANTS most commonly found in the teeth, and the most fruit¬ 
ful cause of caries, is the leptothkix buccalis. It is a little 
affair, but has no simpler name to go by. Its favorite lo¬ 
cality is in the openings between the teeth. When acids 
taken with food medicines or secreted abnormally by the 
mouth itself, have softened the enamel of the teeth, this fungus 
acts with great rapidity in effecting the decay of the teeth. 
The ordinary means of cleaning the teeth do not affect 
the parasitic growth, but soapy water appears to destroy 
them. Dr. Demitt, an authority in dentistry, recommends 
that the teeth be brushed at least twice a day with a fine 
powder and a little soap. The brush should be soft, with the 




58 


hairs not too finely set, in order that they may penetrate 
into the interstices of the teeth. 

- 0 - 

The Toothache. —An exchange gives the following: 

‘Aly dear friend,” said Mr.H. ‘'I can cure your tooth¬ 
ache in ten minutes, easily.” 

“How? how?” I inquired. “Do it in pity.” 

“Instantly,” said he, „Have you any alum?” 

“Yes.” 

“ Bring it, and some common salt.” 

They were produced. My friend pulverized them, mixed 
in equal quantities, then wet a small piece of cotton, caus¬ 
ing the mixing powder to adhere, and j^lacing it in my hol¬ 
low tooth. 

“There,” said he, “if that does not cure I will forfeit my 
head. You may tell this to every one, and publish every¬ 
where. This is infallible.” 

It was as he predicted. On the introduction of the mixed 
alum and salt, I experienced a sensation of coldness, and 
with it —the alum and salt—I cured the torment of the 
toothache. 

- 00 - 

CLOTHING OF INFANTS. 

In the first stage of infancy warmth depends on clothing 
alone, for there is no muscular movement. 

Avoid a degree of warmth which produces sensible per¬ 
spiration. 

Flannel and calico are the best materials in all seasons. 

Dress the child loosely, and fasten with strings, not pins. 

Avoid keeping the child’s head too warm, or its feet too 
cold. 





^9 


Avoid cliilliiig the child, or taking it abroad in cold 
weather. 

Attend to the form and size of the child’s shoes, so that 
the feet shall not he cramped. 

The practice of plunging infants into cold water, to ren¬ 
der them hardy, is exceedingly dangerous. 

Let a child,s Avashing he very completely performed. 
Keep the child always perfectly clean and neat. 

- 00 - 

How to Grow Fat. 

If any one wishes to grow fleshy, a pint of milk taken 
before retiring at night will soon cover the scrawniest bones. 
Although now-a-days we see a great many fleshy females, 
there are many lean and lank ones who sigh for the fashion¬ 
able measure of plumpness, and who would be vastly im¬ 
proved in health and appearance could their figures be 
rounded with good solid flesh. Kothing is more coveted 
by thin women than a full figure, and nothing will so rouse 
the ire, and provoke scandal of one of those ^^clipper build’s” 
as the consciousness of plumpness in a rival. In cases of 
fever and summer complaint, milk is now given vv^ith excel¬ 
lent results. The idea that milk is “feverish” has exploded, 
and is now the physician’s great reliance in bringing through 
typhoid patients, or those in too low a state to be nourished 
by solid food. It is a mistake to scrimp the milk-pitcher. 
Take more milk and buy less meat. Look to your milk¬ 
men, have large sized, well filled milk-pitchers on the table 
each meal, and you wdll also have sound flesh and light doc¬ 
tor’s bills. 




60 


ITow People Get Sick. 

Eating too inucli and too fast, and swallowing imperrect* 
ly masticated food; by taking too miicliiluid during meals; 
keeping late liours at night and sleeping too late in the 
morning; wearing clothing too tight, so as to relax the cir¬ 
culation; wearing thin shoes; neglecting to take sufficient 
exercise to keep the hands and feet warm. [N^eglecting to 
wash the body sufficiently to keejD the pores of the skin open. 
Exchanging the warm clothing worn in a warm room dur¬ 
ing the day to light costumes and exposure incident to eve¬ 
ning 2 )arties. Starving the stomach to gratify a vain and 
foolish passion for dress; keeping up a constant excitement, 
fretting the mind with borrowed troubles; employing cheap 
doctors and swallowing quack nostrums for every imagina¬ 
ry ill; taking meals at irregular intervals. 

- 00 - 

He tire Early. 

Sleep obtained two hours before midnight, when the neg¬ 
ative forces are in operation, is the rest which most recuper¬ 
ates the system, giving brightness to the eye and a glow to 
the cheek. The difference in the appearance of a person 
who habitually retires at 10 o’clock and of one who sits up 
until 12, is quite remarkable. The tone of the system, so 
evident in the complexion, the clearness and sparkle of the 
eye, and the softness of the lines of the features, is, in a 
person of health, kept at ‘‘concert pitch” by taking regular 
rest two hours before 12 o’clock, and thereby obtaining the 
“beauty sleep” of the night. There is a heaviness of the 
eye, a sallowness of the skin, and an absence of that in the 
face which renders it fresh in expression and round in ap- 




61 


pearance, that readily distinguishes the person who keeps 
late hours. 


-—o- 

Sleep. —Sleepless persons should court the sun. The 
very worst soporific is laudanum, and the very best, sun¬ 
shine. Therefore it is very plain that poor sleepers should 
pass as many hours as possible in the siinsliine, and as few 
as possible in the shade. Many women are martyrs, and 
yet they do not know it. They shut the sunshine out of 
their hearts, they wear veils, they carr^^ parasols, they do all 
])Ossible to keep off the most potent influence which is in¬ 
tended to give them strength and beauty and cheerfalness. 
Is it not time to change all this, and so get color and roses 
in our pale cheeks, strength in our weak backs, and courage 
in our timid souls? The women of America are pale and 
delicate, but with the aid of sunlight they may be blooming. 


00 


Causes of Disease are— 

1. Hereditary predisposition. 

2. In juries or accidents of 1 ife. 

3. Atmospherical changes. 

4. Habits. 

5. Situation. 

6. Occupation, 

7. Mental disturbances. 


Causes of Health are— 

1. Dress, 

2. Food, 

3. Water, 

4. Air. 

5. Light. 

6. Electricitv, 

«/ 

7. Magnetism, 






MISCELLANY. 


- 00 -- 

HOW AND WHEN TO SPEAK, AND WHAT TO SAY. 

1. First, it yon would be good talkers, yon must forni 
now—for yon can do it only now—habits of correct and 
easy pronunciation. The words which yon miscall now will 
cost yon great pains in after-life to pronounce aright, and 
yon will always be in danger of returning inadvertently to 
your old pronunciation. There are two extremes which 
yon ought equally to shun. One is that of carelessness; 
the other, that of affected precision. The last fault always 
suggests vanit}^ and 23edantry. 

2. Shun all ungrammatical expressions and vulgarisms, 
which always grate harshly upon the ear. If you permit 
yourself to use them now, you will probably never get rid of 
them. I know a venerable and accomplished lawyer, at the 
head of his profession and moving in the most refined soci¬ 
ety for half a century, who to this day says haint for has 
not, having acquired the habit when a school-boy. 

3. Another offence against good taste is the use, especially 
by young ladies, of extravagant expressions—splendid for 
pretty, magnificent for handsome, and the like. This habit 
has a very bad moral bearing. Exaggerated speech makes 
one careless of the truth. We can hardly trust the testimo¬ 
ny of a person who in conversation is indifferent to the im¬ 
port of words. I am acquainted with persons who have lost 
rejDutation for veracity solely through the habit of extrava¬ 
gant expression. 




63 


4. It may not be amiss to notice a class of plirases often 
employed, to fill out a sentence, such as—I declare—That’s 
a fact Did yon ever!—Just so. All these forms of speech 
disfigure conversation and give unfavorable impressions as 
to the good-breeding of the person using them. 

5. When you are in company talk often, but never long. 
In that case, if you do not please you are sure not to tire 
your hearers. There are many persons who, though they 
have nothing to talk of, never know when to leave off talk¬ 
ing. There are some who labor under so great and insatia¬ 
ble a desiri for talking, that they even interrupt others 
when about to speak. 

6. Tell stories seldom, and only when they are short and 
apt. Omit every circumstance that is not material, and 
beware of digressions. Have the whole tale well settled in 
your own mind, with every name and expression ready at 
hand, that you may not be obliged at every turn to call for 
assistance to help you through. 

7. If you are to relate any thing said or done by a num¬ 
ber of persons, avoid too frequent use of the expression “he 
said,” or ^die replied/” They are indefinite: th.e pronouns 
often agree equally with all the individuals, and their use 
leads only to ambiguity. 

8. There is notliing more impolite than seeming inatten¬ 
tion to the person addressing us. I have seen people who, 
instead of looking at and attending to one addressing them, 
would fix their eyes upon the ceiling, or some other part 
of the room, or look out of the window, or play with the 
do£r. Nothine; more than this discovers a little and frivo* 
Ions mind; and nothing is more offensively ill-bred. 

9. Neither is it consistent with good manners, when an¬ 
other is speaking, to divert attention from the speaker by 
calling it in another direction: unless the company be so 


large as to leave him still a sufficiently good audience. 

10. Another ill habit with many is to break in upon the 
speech of another before he has finished, which is as much 
as to say, “That is not worth our time; listen to me.” And 
sometimes if one be somewhat slow of speech they will 
supply him with words, or even take the speech out of his 
mouth, and finish the story themselves, as if they alone 
were rich in words and competent in wisdom. 

11. ITever display your learning except on particular and 
necessary occasions. Reserve it for suitable times, and then 
let it be drawn from you, rather than exhibited with vain 
ostentation. 

12. Upon all occasions avoid, if possible, speaking of your¬ 
self. But if in narrative we are obliged to mention our¬ 
selves, care should be taken not to drop a single word that 
can he construed into self-commendation or a desire for 
compliment. If we are silent, neither envy nor ridicule 
will allay the approbation we really deserve; hut if we are 
our own panegyrists, however artfully disguised, every one 
will conspire against us, and we shall miss the very end w^e 
aimed at. 

13. Take care never to seem dark and mysterious: this 
is not only a very unamiable but a very suspicious character. 
If you seem mysterious with others, they will be really so 
with. vou. 

t/ 

14. Never talk of vour own, or of others’ domestic affairs. 
Yours are of no interest to them, and theirs should not be 
to you. Besides, the subject is of so delicate a nature, that 
with the best of intentions it is a chance if we do not make 
some mortifying mistake, or wound the feelings of some 
one of the company. 

15. In our intercourse with mankind we oufflit to bo can- 
tious not to obtrude our advice too officiously upon others, 


nor show too deep an interest in their f.ffairs. To give ad¬ 
vice unasked is, in effect, to declare that we are wiser than 
the persons advised, and to repioach them witli ignorance 
and inexperience. Tliis freedom ’onght to be taken only 

with those to whom we are united bv the most intimate 

«/ 

friendship, or those committed to onr care and instruction. 

16. IMever indulge in general reflections upon whole classes 
of men, or associations, or societies; for thereby yon need- 

I ' ' ' c t/ 

Jessly make many enemies. Among all associations there 
are, as everywhere in the world, both good and bad, all act¬ 
uated by the same passions and sentiments as mankind 
generally, and it is as unjust as imprudent to speak to the 
discredit of all because of a few. Judge of individuals from 
your knowledge of them, not from their sex or profession. 

17. Private scandal should never be the subject of con¬ 
versation; for though the defamation of others may gratify 
a present ill-will, yet reflection will always disincline us to 
the acquaintance of the scandal-monger Wo never feel oui‘- 
selves safe in the hands of one who has defamed others. 
Moreover, in scand;il, as in robbery, the receiver is reputed 
as bad as the thief. 

18. Keither ought we to indulge in mimierv or buffoon- 
ery merely to elicit laughter. Mimicry, which is the com¬ 
mon and favorite amusement of Ioav minds, is the contempt 
of elevated ones. Besides, it is little less than downright 
insult to the person mimicked. The manner in which con¬ 
versation is embellished bv some, bv ^ istortions of the 
moutli, or eyes, or face, arc the tricks of a clown rather than 
the accomplishments of a gentleman or lady. 

19. Special care ought always to be taken never to allude 
in the remotest way to any thing that may be unpleasant 
in the history or unbecoming in the personal appearance 
or dress of any of the company. If any one is so unfortu- 


66 


nate as to possess any disability or disfigurement, no one 
but the most thoughtless or uncultivated would make it the 
subject of remark. There is much we must learn not to 
see, as well as many things not to know. 

20. Conversation should never be allowed to fall into sep¬ 
arate or little knots, so that one here or there should remain 
alone or be excluded altogether. It should be carried on in 
appropriate tones of voice, somewhat raised or strengthened 
for the aged and those who may not hear readily; quick, 
firm, and spirited for those of middle age, with faculties 
in full strength; and somewhat gentler to the young, that 
they be not checked, and slower, that they may have time 
to frame an answer. Should the conversation become dull 
at any moment, or should even an awkward pause ensue, 
seem not to notice it, but rather try to gather up the broken 
thread, or to introduce some new topic. 

21. Be not too ready to find some point of disagreement. 
There are those who seem ever on the watch to catch up 
some word wheron they may hang a controversy. Before 
we assume that we do not take the same view of the subject 
that a speaker does, we should carefully examine the terms 
he uses, to see if we attach the same meaning to them, and 
to ascertain how far our thoughts do agree. Few persons 
are more unwelcome than those who are ever ready to say, 
‘•Hold there, I don’t agree with you.” 

22. But if our opinions are altogether diverse, our dissent 
should be so expressed as to cast no reflection upon our an¬ 
tagonist. We should accustom ourselves to an elegant, 
modest, and pleasing manner of expression, such as will 
have nothinfc offensive to those with whom we disao-ree. 
Thus, instead of saying, “Sir, you do not understand me,” 
say rather, “I believe I do not express myself as clearly as 
I should.” It is better, also, to say, “Let us consider the 


67 


.■natter more carefully whether we view it alike,” than, ^‘It 
is not so,” or, ‘^You mistake.” 

23. It is a polite and amiable practice to make some ex¬ 
cuse for another, even in those instances where we are sure 
he is in error. And when he alone is under misapprehen¬ 
sion, we may approach him mucli more agreeably and effect¬ 
ively by representing the mistake as common to us both, 
and then ventuixi to reprove him in some such expression 
as this, “We are under a grave mistake here.”— FjCWl 
"‘‘Mental and Social CidtuTei‘^ 

- 00 -- 

Henry Ward Beecher on Beading. 

To the question; What shall we read? it is impossible to 
return a very definite answer. It depends on what things 
are within your reach—on your health, your education, 
your occupation. To keep up with the world’s current 
events every one should read one or more new&q)apers. A 
good tamily journal, if wdthin reach, should be carefully 
read. History, biography, and travels should of course be 
a part of every one’s reading. But in this article we do not 
so much wish to point out the class of w^orks to be read, as 
to make some suo^i^cestions as to method. 

Every man should strive to own a good full dictionary, 
a good general atlas, an encyclopedia, and a good gazetteer. 
These should be owned if possible, at once; otherwise let 
one save money by every means, and procure them as fast 
as possible. If one has fair wages, and has the courage to 
live within his means, and to save everv month, then let 
him run in debt for them. 

A 2 rood debt is often like an anchor and holds an honest 
snan steady. It will help an honest man to save, if he has 
right before his eyes in the end to be gained, and much mon- 





G8 


oy will thus be invested which might otherwise be run down 
one’s throat, or be fooled away in trivial sums. But these 
books are foundation books, and ought to be within reach. 
To borrow them is much like borrowing a candle, a teacup 
or a bed. They are things which every man sliould have 
*<is near him as a man has his tools. 

Now with this stock in trade come some suggestions 
about reading. Never read anything without going over it 
afterward in your mind, see if you can state to your self the 
substance of what von have read. It would be well when it 
can be done, to repeat to some one the information you ob- 
.mn. It will tend to lix attention while reading, will pre¬ 
vent that smooth dreamy way of gliding over subjects with 
a vague general impression only. 

Never suffer a word to pass the meaning of which is not 
clear to you. No matter how often you have to pause go 
right to the dictionary, and find out the history of the word. 
Do not ask your neighbor. By looking it up yourself your 
attention will be sj^ecially directed to it, so that you will not 
be likely to forget it. In this way one’s vocabulary will be 
increased with wonderful rapidity. A word once conquered, 
becomes ever after your faithful servant. 

Do not pass by a name or place without finding out a- 
bout it in your gazetteer or biographical dictionary—wliich 
by and by shoiildbe added to the list of fundamental books. 
Go to the atlas for eviry geographical fact. Read with your 
map open when you are upon historical subjects. Asso¬ 
ciate your knowledge with the typography of the country 
to which it belongs. 

Do not spare trouble. Do not be too lazy to take dowii 
vour feet, and stretch out vour arm for a book of reference. 
After a short experience of such thorough reading one’s self 
respect will be increased, and he will experience so much 








00 


pleasure in this course that he will need no exhortation. 

Often plain men who read to themselves, are very faulty 
in tlieir pronunciation. Therefore as much as you can, 
read aloud, and go to the dictionary and gazetteer whenever 
a new, difficult or doubtful word comes to you. 

- 00 -- 

Iteading One’s Hair. 

As long (says the author <>f the “Hair Markets of Eu¬ 
rope”) as girls will wear as mucli false hair as that natur¬ 
ally belonging to them, it will be puerile to attempt to read 
the character or disposition in the fashion or character of 
the locks displayed; but viewed naturally, the hair is as 
great an index of temperament and disposition as the fea¬ 
tures. Mr. Greer, in his volume on hair, for instance, 
quotes the following indications of character, founded upon 
the color and texture of flowing locks, from a book recent- 
ly published in Paris, entitled “Secrets of beauty:” “Coarse 
black hair and dark skin signify great power of character, 
with a tendency to sensuality. Fine black hair and dark 
skin indicate strength of character along with purity and 
o-oodness. Stiff, straiedit black hair and beard indicate a 
coarse, strong,-rigid, straightforward character. Fine dark 
brown hair signifies the combination of exquisite sensibili¬ 
ty with great strength of character. Flat, clinging, straight 
hair, a melancholy, but extremely constant charactei*. 
Coarse red hair indicates powerful animal passions, togeth¬ 
er with a corresponding strength of character. Auburn' 
hair, with florid countenance, denotes the highest order of 
sentiment, intensity of feeling and purity of character, with 
the highest capacity for enjoyment or suffering. Straight, 
even, smooth and glossy hair denotes strength, harmony 
and evenness of character, hearty affections, a clear head 



70 


and superior talents. Fine, silky, supple liair is a mark ot 
a delicate and sensitive temperament and speaks in favor 
of the mind and character. White hair denotes a lym^diat- 
ic and indolent constitution. And we may add that, besides 
all these qualities, there are chemical properties residing in 
the coloring matter which undoubtedly have some effect 
upon the disposition. Thus, red-haired people are notori¬ 
ously passionate. Now, red hair is proved by analysis to 
contain a large amount of sulphur, while very black hair is 
colored with pure carbon. The presence of these matters 
in the blood points peculiarities of temperament and feel¬ 
ing which are almost universally associated with them. The 
very way in which the hair flows is strongly indicative of 
the ruling passions and inclinations, and perhaps a clever 
person could give a shrewd guess at the manner of a man or 
woman’s disposition by only seeing the back of their hair. 

- 0 - 

How to Eetain a Good Face. 

A correspondent has some good ideas on the importance 
of mental activity in retaining a good face. He says: “We 
were speaking of handsome men the other evening, and I 
was wondering why K. had so lost the beauty for which five 
years ago he was so famous. ‘Oh, it’s because he never did 
anything,’ said B.; ‘he never worked, thought, or suffered. 
You must have the mind chiseling away at the features if 
you want handsome, middle-aged men.’ Since hearing that 
remark I have been on the watch to see whether it is e’en- 

O 

erally true—and it is. A handsome man who does nothing 
but eat and drink grows flabby, and the fine lines of his fea¬ 
tures are lost; but the hard thinker has an admirable sculp¬ 
tor at work, keeping his fine lines in repair, and constantly 
going over his face endeavoring to improve, if possible, the 
original design.” 




BEING SOCIABLE. 


Some peoj^le display a wonderful tact for nnsociability. 
It is not so mucli l)y their silence, their modesty, or their re¬ 
serve, as by a peculiar disposition they manifest—an inde¬ 
finable atmosphere in which they envelop themselves so as 
to repel the advances and resist the invitations of others. 
Indeed, silence is not inconsistent with social feelings, and 
those who sav little and listen much and well are alwavs 
popular in society. It was Miss Edgeworth who, after talk¬ 
ing with charming and incessant volubility to a deaf mute 
for an hour, remarked that he was one o: the most intelligent 
and interesting persons she ever met. Oftentimes those 
who talk most have least real sociability. Their gabble 
hides their utter want of social feeling and personal sympa¬ 
thy. Their prattle is purely sjlfish, mechanical and cold. 
Volubility and vacancy seem to be naturally related to each 
other, and oftentimes the tongue is the substitute for thought 
instead of its organ. Sociability and loquacity may co-exist 
in the same person; but generally the one who talks the 
most thinks and feels the least. 

True sociability is a matter of sentiment, of mind, of 
character, rather than of words. It comes from a surplus 
of sympathy, of kind feelings, of personal regards, of conta¬ 
gious interest in things and thoughts. It is the overflow 
of the generous and kindly qualities of the heart, those which 
make us social beings, those which bind us most closely, 
and tenderly to others and the family to which we belong. 
All real interest in others, all quick and generous sympathy, 
all desire to communicate with others and share in their ex¬ 
periences and participate in their life, enter as constituents 
into a true sociability. It is the humanity in us in com¬ 
munication with the humanity without us whidi makes 


tlie cliarm and sweetness and value of social interconrsc. 
The hard and sellisli nature is nnsocial. The proad, vain, 
self-seeking temper destroy sociability. People who care 
only for themselves may run against others every moment, 
but their contact is as purely mechanical as the attidtion of 
logs in a river, or pol)bles on the beach. The talk which 
comes from no kind impnlse and no kindly regard, but 
is manufactured by will merely because it is expected, is as 
destitute of social quality as the bellows which make a 
breeze when pressed; and the talk made to display the speak¬ 
er’s wit or cleverness or learning is exhibition but not con¬ 
versation. 

A great deal of the calling and twittering and my-dear- 
inc: have no more real connection with sociabilitv than the 
flowers and feathers on a woman’s hat have with her head. 
They are purely artiflcial, and tacked on by the milliner. 
Tliere is a vast deal of social millinery, however, which pass¬ 
es for nature’s handiwork; and people are often praised for 
their fine social qualities merely because they are adepts in 
the art of saying pretty nothings by the hour, and exhibit¬ 
ing- themselves in other peoj^lo’s drawing-rooms in an en¬ 
tertaining way. And, on the other hand, those who are 
eminently social in nature and spirit are often condemned 
as unsociable because they say little, and do not care to ex¬ 
hibit themselves and tuim their hearts inside out for other 
people to admire. Perhaps they are deficient in the graces 
of cultivated society; they may not liave the gift of rapid 
utterance or sparkling repartee; they may find it hard to 
intrude their thoughts and feelings upon others while more 
voluble natures make the air vocal with their incessant 
buzz. But behind their reticence, and beneath the disguise 
of modest and unattractive ways, are all the elements of the 
truest sociability, which it requires but the least penetra- 


I 


73 

tioii to discover and the fit occasion to hrino: out. 

Being sociable requires something more than ceaseless 
chattering and gadding about. It requires the culture and 
expression in all proper and helpful ways of those thoughts 
and sentiments which are unselfish, generous, sympathetic 
and human. It means a pervading interest in others and 
the general good. It means the lively commerce of mind 
with mind, and communication of heart with heart, by lis¬ 
tening as well as by speaking, by large receptivity as ^vell 
as generous giving. And this sociability is just what is 
wanted to redeem our social intercourse and make ourcom- 
ing together helpful, stimulative, and ennobling.— Goldeil 

- 00 - 

Unprofitable Acquaintances. 

There is not the least necessity of frittering away much 
time on people who are neither profitable, congenial, or in 
any way companionable, altliough there is an immense 
amount of time wasted in that manner, and a deal of scold¬ 
ing done in consequence. 

Those who have nothiim to do but chatter, lounge about 
in easy chairs, eat bon bons, and conjure about their neigh- 
l)ors, will soon seek more welcome quarters if one continues 
the duties and labors of the day regardless of their juesence. 
The atmosphere of industry does not harmonize with chron¬ 
ic idleness. 

IIow often it occurs that entire i3lans for the dav arefriis- 
trated by an untimely visit from the last person one would 
care to see ! Important matters are neglected merely to be 
civil and hospitable, purely from a cannot-help-yourself feel- 

Entertaining people without being at all entertained or 




74 


edified in return, is the most stupid, thankless task one can 
assume. There is absolutely nothing to be gained from it 
in the end. 

The only true, successful and lasting basis for sociability 
and companionship is sympathy of thought or similarity of 
pursuits. 

It is unwise to have or permit acquaintanceships which 
cannot prove pleasurable or beneficial. 

Kow and then it may be pardonable in a man or woman 
to treat a consummate “bore” with consideration because 
he has money, and can be induced to lend a few dollars in 
an emergency, but the obeisance and sacrifice made to mon¬ 
ey are generally too low, frequent and fawning. Money 
and clothes are not recommendations to the friendship of 
those who amount to anything intellectually, still they are 
too apt to win soft smiles,' gentle words and flattery from 
the masses, and pass for much that exists only in dazzled 
imaginations. 

Such twaddle as people endure because gilded with mon¬ 
ey is almost enough to discourage the poor from seeking 
after knowledge. Kich ignorance and vulgarity snub impe¬ 
cunious culture and refinement, and the people bow in sub¬ 
mission. “She is an heiress,” or “he is rich,” settles all 
questions of equality and merit, and the poor are discounted 
at once. 

There are a few eccentric individuals who do not rcirard 
mone}^ above all else, and they will not bend the knee to 
that which is tasteless and uncongenial. Such persons are 
not popular; but they enjoy freedom from the trammel of 
unwelcome guests, and cringing to the unworthy is to them 

unknown. Blessed be such eccentricitv. 

«/ 


75 


Some Impolite Things to Avoid. 

Loud and boisterous laimhiiiir. 

Iteadiiig aloud in company without being asked. 

Cutting finger nrdls in company. 

Gazing rudely at strangers. 

Correcting older j)ersons than yourself, especially parents, 

deceiving a present without an expression of gratitude. 

Talking about yourself. 

Laughing at the mistakes of others. 

Commencing talk before others have finished speaking. 

Answering questions that have be_n put to others. 

Commencing to eat as soon as you get to the table; and 

ISTot listening to what one is saying in company. 

- 00 - 

CHAT WITH THE CHILDKEK. 

COURAGE. 

Children, I have something to say to day about courage. 
This splendid word grew out of the Latin word cor, which 
means heart. So to understand the word we must know 
what heart is. You may have heard of good-hearted boys 
and men. This means clever, good-natured, kind, jolly 
boys and men; genial fellows ever ready to do a kind deed; 
unselfish fellows, who don't want all the good things for 
themselves, but are ever readv to share them with their 
mates. So again of honest-hearted, which means simple, 
straight-forward, innocent, and truth-telling; heavy-hearted, 
which means sad, sorrowful, dejected and down-cast; hard¬ 
hearted, which means cruel, wicked and unkind; proud- 
hearted which means vain, conceited and foppish; pure- 
hearted, which means genuine, true and honest, without 
spot, and not tarnished, true and chaste. So you have heard 




76 


of falnt-lieartedness, wliicli means to get clisconraged, dis- 
pondent, blue; to be weak, idle, lazy, and to fail. The heart, 
however, I am to talk about now is the courageous heart. 
This means the strong, the brave,the bold, the fearless, the 
enterprising, the heart that never sajs, “I can’t.” I believe 
nearly all little children are brave. They don’t know much 
about fear. Till they have been burned they are not atraid ot 
a red hot stove. Till they have been cut they are not afraid 
of sharp knives. They do not fear to go close to horses’ 
heels, stand on the edge of steep places, play on the track 
of a railroad. There comes, however, with knowledge, fear. 
Fear has a bad effect on courage. A baby has no fear, but 
a bov of five vears old has. He is afraid in the dark, and 
mao’nifies a shadow or a nothino^ into a monster. He fears 
to sleep alone, to speak to a stranger, to go to a new and 
strange place. How this being afraid has its uses; but too 
much fear is bad, and courage is its true cure. The cour¬ 
ageous ])oy is not afraid of his shadow. And now I want 
to tell you the storv of a do" that had more fear than most 
dogs; and perhaps with reason too, for when a puppy he 
was taken away from his quiet home to a region full of dan¬ 
gerous animals, such as he nor his ancestors before him had 
never seen or heard about. The result was he was constant¬ 
ly in fear, and had not courage enough to go out of his ken¬ 
nel or away from his home. One day a great magician 

% 

came along and asked him why he never went out into the 
fields and woods for air and exercise, when he told him he 
was afraid of snakes and panthers, lions and other fierce 
creatures. The magician took from his bj^g some powder 
and told him to eat that and it would chanoe him into a 

O 

snake, when perhaps he would be fearless. When he ate it 
he was at once changed to a snake, but instead of biting 
anybody he crawled off to a hole and staid there, only ven- 








tiiring fortli to catcli mice aed birds wliicli might be away 
from home. As a snake he w'as constantly in fear liis liead 
would be snapped oft, and when the magician came round 
again he begged to be changed into a lion. ‘‘As a lion’’ 
said he “I shall know no fear.” So, quick as a wink he was 
made into a lion and placed in a tliick jungle. It was not 
long before he heard a terrible roariwg and screaming in 
the woods. It must have come from all the liens and tigers 
in the region. He had never in his life heard such noises; 
but instead of going out boldly to see what it was he sneaked 
away and hid, and was nearly staiwed when the magician 
came round again. lie upbraided him for his cowardice 
and made him go back to his former condition as a dog. 
“You have the lieart of a coward” said he, “and a coward 
you will ever be, either as a dog, snake, or lion.” So it 
ever is, courage always comes from the heart. And if boys 
and girls want to be brave and fearless they must practice 
while young such things as will make them so. They must 
get over being afraid in the dark; not be frightened at 
thunder and lightning, not run at the sight of blood, not 
tremble in their shoes when speaking a piece. There are 
some things, however, it is well to be afmid of. One is to 
tell a lie; another is to speak a cross, unkind word to father 
or mother, brother or sister; another is to drink or smoke; 
another is to live a lazy life, and another is to do anything 
you are ashamed of. If you are afraid of these things we 
may safely hope you wdll make a mark in the 'world some¬ 
where and somehow. Tour name mav not be heralded on 

c/ 

the wings of fame all over the globe, nor inscribed upon the 
page of history, but it will be cherished by those who know 
and love you, and that is enough to satisfy the ambition of 
most persons. With this lesson I will leave you for an¬ 
other month.— Herald of Health' 


78 


The Naming of Children. 

One of the most common, foolish, and mischievous habits, 
is that of naming babies after historic characters or persons 
who have achieved contemporaneous distinction. The 
smaller the chance the children have of ever achieving any 
resemblance to those with whose title they are crushed from 
the first, the greater the likelihood of the bestowal of such 
titles. A narrow and ignorant man, living in some rural 
and semi-civilized region, is more inclined to call his boy, 
born under every disadvantage of circumstances, after some 
celebrated poet or scliolar, than a wealthy and cultivated cit¬ 
izen would be on whom fatherhood had fallen. A woman 
to whom fate has always been unkind, whom poverty and 
toil have narrowed and vulgarized, blindlv reaches out to- 
wards the ideal, by stamping her graceless and common¬ 
place daughter with a name acquired from a popular ro¬ 
mance. It may be said that fair names may exercise a fa¬ 
vorable influence, and serve as models and patterns for the 
namesake. So they may, if there be any similarity or con¬ 
cord between the two; but when there is not, when the two 
natures are opposite, perchance antagonistic, the heavy cap¬ 
ital overweighs and weakens the slender column. Names 
to be beneficial and inspiring to their bearers, must either 
find or beget corresponding tendencies. 

The injury William Shakspeare, John Milton, George 
Washington, Daniel Webster, and a hundred others have 
done at the baptismal font can never be reckoned. It is 
doubtful which would have been better—that they should 
not have been born, or that the nominal wearers of theii* 
honors should not have been. I am sure hundreds of prom¬ 
ising and naturally clever boys have been spoiled by indiscre¬ 
tions of nomenclature. How can a sensitive and competent 


70 


)ontli, willi an ardent proclivity to and many gifts for lit- 
eiature, obey the bent ot his inclination when everybody is 
aware that he is William Shakspeare Jones, or Smith, or 
Brown, or anything else? He inevitably shrinks from com¬ 
parison, dreading lest his efforts, creditable as they may be, 
should be made contemj)tible thereby. Can a healthy, im¬ 
pulsive, warm-blooded lad, with George Washington thrust 
upon him, be expected to accomplish anything, knowing as 
he must that George Washington has always been portrayed 
as the most unnaturally perfect and momentous of mortals? 
Who shall say how" many retiring, cloistered natures have 
been embittered by discovering in their first thinking years 
how ridiculous their parents had made them by styling them 
Hapoleon Bonaparte? Of course, they wrote only theii* 
initials, and then they were perpetually mortified to hear 
themselves called Hota Bene Wiggins or Take Notice Simp¬ 
son. Boys bubbling over with animal spirits, and fond of 
adventure, have doubtless been driven to vicious extremes 
by having John Calvin or John Knox tacked to their patro¬ 
nymics. The entire law of their being prevented them 
from imitating those ascetic theologians, and so they delib¬ 
erately became ^n’othgate from contradiction and from a 
vague sense of the wrong that had been put ip^on them. I 
have known Melancthons and Wilberforces to be thieves, 
and Solomons and Solons to be circus clowns; and I make 
no question but the former wxnt in disgust to the opposite 
extreme, or that the latter w’ere resolved to caricature the 
ancient sages by becoming the most melancholy of fools. 

- 00 - 

He Could be Trusted. 

Alfred was missing one night about sunset. Mother was 
getting anxious, for she always wished him to be home ear- 




80 


]y. A neiglibor coming in, said a niimbsr of boys bad gone 
to the river to swim, and he thought it likely Alfred was 
with them. 

“No,” said the Mother, “he promised me that he would 
never go there without my leave, and he always keej)s his 
word.” 

But seven o’clock came, then eight, and mother was still 
listening for Alfred’s step; but it was half-past eight before 
his shout and whistle were heard when he ran in at the gate. 

“Confess now,” said the neighbor, “'that you have been 
to the river with the other boys, and so kept away till late.” 

How the boy’s eyes flashed, and the crimson mounted to 
his cheeks! 

“No,sir! I promised my mother that I would never go 
there without her leave, and do you think I would tell a 
falsehood? I helped James to And the cows that had strayed 
into the woods, and didn’t think I would be so late.” 

James coming up the street just then, came in to say that 
he was afraid they had been alarmed; he and Alfred had 
been so far in the woods it made them late in ^ettino^ home. 

“I think,” said the neighbor, turning to the mother as 
he took his hat to go home “'there is a comfort in store for 

O 1 

you, by him. Such a boy as that will make a noble man.” 

- 00 - 

Sensible Conclusion. 

Young men are very likely to keep the traits of charac¬ 
ter they had in boyhood, and if a boy does well at home 
and at school, an employer is generally ready to take him 
on trust. The Child’s Paper gives a case in point: 

“Sir,” said a lad, coming down a wharf in Boston, and 
addressing a well known merchant, “'sir, have you any berth 
for me in your ship? I want to earn something.” 




81 


What can yon do?” asked the gentleman. 

I can try my best to do whatever I am put to,” answered 
the boy. 

“What have yon done?” 

I have sawed and split all mother's wood for nigh two 
years.” 

‘What have you not done?” asked the gentleman, which 
was a queer sort of question. 

“Well, sir,” answered the boy, after a motnent’s pause, 
“I have not whispered once in school for a whole year.” 

“That’s enough, said the gentleman, “you may ship 
aboard this vessel, and I hope to see you master of her some 
day. A boy who can master a wood pile and bridle his 
tongue must be made of good stuff.” 

- 00 - 

Stuffed Dog. 

A Worcester boy was engaged in nocturnal cherry-steal¬ 
ing, a short time ago, and was observed by the owner of 
the fruit, who, unnoticed by the young robber, placed a 
stuffed dog at the foot of the tree, and retired to watch the 
result of the strategy. The boy descending observed the 
dog, and then the fun commenced; he whistled, coaxed 
threatened unavailingly, the animal never moving, and fi¬ 
nally the youth, accepting the inevitable, settled down to 
] !assing the night in the tree. After some hours had passed 
wearily enough to the lad, morning dawned, and the pro¬ 
prietor of the tree, coming from the house, asked him how 
he came to be in the tree, to which the boy answered that 
he took to it to save himself from the dog, which had chased 
him quite a distance. It isn’t healthy for a smaller boy to 
say stuffed dog to that youth now. 




82 


Woman’s Eights. 

The following are the opening sentences of an address on 
this subject by Mrs. Skinner: 

Miss President, fellow wimmen, and male trash general¬ 
ly: I am here to day for the purjDose of discussing woman’s 
rights, re-cussing her wrongs, and cussing the men. 

I believe sexes were created perfectly equal, with the wim¬ 
men a little more equal than men. 

' I also believe that the world would to-day be happier if 

man had never existed. 

As a failure, man is a success, and I bless my stars that 
my mother was a woman. [Applause]. 

I not only maintain these principles, but I maintain a 
shiftless husband besides. 

They say man was created first. Well, ’s]30se he was. 
Ain’t first experiments always failures? 

If I was a betting man I w'ould bet $2.50 they are. 

The only decent thing about him was a rib, and that went 
to make something better. [Applause]. 

And then they throw into our face about Eve taking an 
apple. I’ll bet hve dollars that Adam boosted her up the 
tree and onlv £:ave her the core. 

And what did he do when he was found out? True to 
his masculine instincts, he sneaked behind Eve’s Grecian 
bend, and said, ‘‘’Twasn’t me; ’twas her;” and wnman had 
to father everytliing mean, and mother it too. 

What we want is the ballot, and the ballot we’re bound 
to have, if we have to let down our back hair, and swim in 
a sea of sanguinary gore. [Sensationh 


I 


83 


Wortli’ Knowing. 

t 

During tlie warm weather kid gloves are easily soiled, par¬ 
ticularly as the prevailing colors are quite light, and as it 
costs some time and money to have them cleaned at the dy¬ 
er’s, we let our readers into the secret of cleaning them at 
home, which can be done just as well as if paid for outside. 
Take a little sweet milk and a piece of white or brown soap. 
Fold a clean towel three or four times, spread it over your 
dress, and spread out the glove smoothly upon it. Take a 
large piece of white flannel, dip it into the milk, then rub 
it upon the soap, and rub the glove downwards towards the 
fingers, holding the wrist in the left hand. Continue this 
process until the glove, if white, looks of a dingy yellow, 
but if colored, looks dark, and entirely spoiled. Kow let it 
dry, and then rub it on your hand, and it will be smooth, 
soft,’ glossy and clean. Take care, however, to omit no part 
of the glove in rubbing it, and see that all the soiled parts 
are thoroughly cleansed. This process applies only to white 
and colored kid gloves. For black gloves that are soiled, 
turned white, and otherwise injured, take a teaspoonful of 
salad oil, drop a few drops of ink into it, and rub it all over 
the gloves with the tip of a feather; then let them dry in 
the sun. White kid boots and slippers can also be cleaned 
by the first j)rocess to look ^^as good as new,” and black kid 
boots and slippers can be restored to their pristine gloss by 
the latter method. 

--oo- 

A Secret for Ladies. 

Oat meal is good for something besides food. All young 
ladies who desire white hands will please hearken. It is 
only necessary to sleep in a pair of boxing gloves, and for a 




84 


bath oat meal is excellent. If economically inclined and 
country bred, it can be fed to the horses and cattle as oat¬ 
meal mash after being used. Oat meal contains a small a- 
mount of oil that is good for the skin. To make the hands soft 
and white, one of the best things is to wear at night large mit¬ 
tens of cloth filled with wet bran or oat meal, and tied close¬ 
ly at the wrists. A lady who had the whitest, softest hands 
in the country confessed that she had a great deal of house¬ 
work to do and kept them white as idlers’ by wearing bran 
mittens every night. The paste and poultices owe most of 
their efficiency to their moisture, which dissolves the old, 
coarse skin and to their protection from the air, which al¬ 
lows the new skin to become tender and delicate. Oat meal 
paste is as efficacious as anything, though less agreeable 
than paste made of the white of an egg, alum and rose-wa¬ 
ter. The alum astringes the fiesh and makes it firm, while 
the egg keeps it sufficiently soft, and the rose-water perfumes 
the mixture and makes the curd not so hard. 

- 00 - 

Items for Housekeepers. 

Do everything at the proper time. Keep everything in 
its place. Always mend your clothes before washing them. 

Alum or vinegar is good to set colors, red, green or yel¬ 
low. 

Sal soda will bleach; one spoonful is sufficient for a ket¬ 
tle of clothes. 

Save your suds for the garden and plants, or to harden 
yards when sandy. 

A hot shovel held over varnished furniture will take out 
spots. 

A bit of glue, dissolved in skim milk and water, will 
restore old rusty crape. 



85 


Ribbons of any kind should be washed in cold suds, and 
not rinsed. 

If flat irons are rough, rub them well with salt, and it 
will make them smooth. 

If you are buying a carpet for durability, you must choose 
small figures. 

A bit of soap rubbed on the hinges of doors will prevent 
them from creakins:. 

Scotch snuff, if put in the holes where crickets run out, 
will destroy them. 

Wood ashes and common salt wet with water will ^top 
the cracks of the stove, and prevent the smoke from escap¬ 
ing. 

■ Green should be the 2 :>revailing color for bed-hangings 
and window-dra]3ery. 

- 00 - 

Worth Remembering. 

Benzine and common clay will clean marble. 

Castor oil is an excellent thing to soften leather. 

A dose of castor oil will aid you in removing pimples. 

Lemon juice and glycerine will remove tan and freckles. 

Lemon juice and glycerine will cleanse and soften the 
hands. 

Spirits of ammonia, diluted a little, will cleanse the hair 
very thoroughly. 

Lunar caustic, carefully applied so as not to touch the 
skin, will destroy warts. 

Powdered nitre is good for removing freckles. Apply 
with a soft rag moistened with glycerine. 

To obviate offensive perspiration, wash your feet with 
so^p and diluted spirits of ammonia. 

The juice of ripe tomatoes will remove the stain of wal- 




nuts from tlie hands without injury to the skin. 

A strong solution of carbolic acid and w\ater poured into 
holes kills all the ants it touches, and the survivors imme¬ 
diately take themselves off. 

- 00 - 

Care of Canarv Birds. 

t/ 

1. During the summer season you should have both a 
drinking cup and a bathing dish in the cage, and should 
wash them twice a day, and fill with fresh water The seed 
cup should be filled every morning. 

2. The room in which the bird is kept should never be 
warmer than 90 degrees. 

3. Feed plain food. Now and then a lump of sugar 
does no harm; but, as a general rule, avoid sweets. Keep 
the cuttle fish dry and clean, and feed only fresh and dry 
seed. 

4. Never place a cage where a draught can strike the 
bird. 

5. Never smoke in a room where your bird is kept, as 
the odor of a cigar is fatal to canaries. 

6. As a general rule, never keej) the bird in a painted 
cage; for the birds will peck the wires, and it will lead to 
disease. 

7. When your bird is shedding feathers, which is gen¬ 
erally styled moulting, avoid draughts of air. 

By obeying these simple directions, you can keep birds 
in excellent health for years. 

- 00 - 

How to Do Up Shirt Bosoms. 

We have often been requested by lady corresjDondents to 
state by what process the gloss on new linens, shirt bosoms, 






87 


etc., is produced, and in order to gratify them, we subjoin 
the following recipes: Take two ounces of line white gum 
ot Arabic powder, put it in a pitcher and pour on a pint or 
more of boiling water, according to the strength you desire, 
and then, having covered it, let it stand all night. In the 
morning pour it carefully from the dregs into a clean bot¬ 
tle, cork and keep it for use. A tablespoonful of gum wa¬ 
ter stirred in a pint of starch, made in the usual manner, 
will giv’e to lawns, either white or printed, a look of new¬ 
ness, when nothing else can restore them after they have 
been washed. 


- 00 - 


Home-Made Vinegar. 

Here are two methods of making good home-made vine¬ 
gar: 1. To one pint of strained honey add two gallons of 
soft water. Let it stand in a moderately warm place. In 
three weeks it will be excellent vinegar. 2. Boil a pint of 
corn till it is a little soft; put it into a jar; add a pint of 
molasses and four quarts of water; mix well together and 
set near a stove. In two days it will be good beer, in two 
or three weeks it will be first rate vinea^ar. The same corn 
will do for several months. When the vinegar is made, 
pour it off and add molasses and water to the corn. We 
have not tested these recipes, but give them as we find 
them in the books. 


Dandruff.—Some one asks, what will remove and prevent 
dandruff from coming in a lady’s head? A friend of mine 
says she takes a little borax added to a pint of rain water, 
and washes her head occasionally with it. I often add a 
little borax or cooking soda to the rain water when I wash 
my hair brushes. It cleanses them nicely. 




88 


THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. 

The seven wonders of the world are among the traditions 
of childhood, and vet it is a remarkable fact that ninety-nine 
persons of one hundred who might be asked the question 
could not name them. They are: 

1. The Pyramids—the mystery of the past, the enigma 
of the present, and the enduring for the future ages of the 
Avorld. 

2. The Temple, the walls and hanging gardens of Bab¬ 
ylon, the most celebrated city of Assyria, and the residence 
of the Kings of that country after the destruction of Nine- 
vah. 

3. The Chryselephantine statue of Jupiter Olympus, 
the most renowned work of Phidias, the illustrious artist of 
Greece. The statue w’as formed of gold, and was sitting 
on a throne almost touching the summit of the temple, 
which was seventy feet high. 

4. The Temple of Diana, at Ephesus, which was 220 
years in building, and which was 425 feet’in length and 220 
in breadth, and supported by 12T marble columns of the 
Ionic order, 60 feet limh. 

5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, erected to the mem¬ 
ory of Mausolus, the King of Oaria, by his wife Artemesia, 
B. C. 259. 

6. Tho Pharos, at Alexandria, a light-house erected by 
Ptolemy Soter at the entrance of the harbor of Alexandria. 
It was 450 feet high, and could be seen at a distance of 100 
miles, and upon it was inscribed, ‘‘King Ptolemy, to the 
gods, the saviors, for the benefit of sailors. 

7. The Colossus at Rhodes, a brazen image of Apollo, 105 
Grecian feet in height, and located at the entrance of one of 
the harbors of the city of Rhodes. 


89 


American Wonders. 

Tlie greatest cataract dn the world is Niagara Falls, where 
the water from the great upper lakes forms a river of three- 
tonrths of a mile in width, and then being suddenly con¬ 
tracted, plunges over the rocks in two columns, to the depth 
of 175 feet. 

Tlie greatest cave in the world is the Mammoth cave of 
Kentucky, where any one can make a voyage on the waters 
of a subterranean river, and can catch fish without eyes. 

. The greatest river in the known world is the Mississipjfi, 
4,000 miles long. 

The largest valley in the world is the valley of the Mis¬ 
sissippi. It contains five hundred thousand square miles 
and is one of the most fertile regions of the globe. 

The greatest grain port in the world is Chicago. 

The largest lake in the world is Lake Superior, which is 
truly an inland sea, being 430 miles long, and 1,000 feet 
deep. 

The longest railroad in the world is the Pacific railroad, 
over three thousand miles in length. 

The greatest natural bridge in the world is the Natural 
bridge over Cedar Creek, in Virginia. It extends across a 
chasm eighty feet in width,and 240 feet in depth, at the 
bottom of which the creek flows. 

The greatest mass of solid iron in the world is the Iron 
Mountain of Missouri. It is 350 feet high and two miles 
in circuit. 

The best specimens of Grecian architecturi in the world, 
are in the Girard College for Orphans, Philadelphia. 

The largest aqueduct in the world is the Croton aqueduct, 
in New York. Its length is 40^ miles, and it cost $15,500, 
000 . 


90 


The largest deposits of anthracite coal in the world are in 
Pennsylvania, the mines of which supply the market with 
millions of tons annually, and appear to be inexhaustible. 

- 00 - 

A Pemarkable Man. 

There lives in Ohio County, near Whitesville, Daviess 
County, a gentleman whose name is Henry T. Tanner, aged 
fifty-seven years. He never had a bad cold, has never voted 
for a President, has never been to his county-seat (Hartford), 
has not voted since 1861, though an old citizen, and has 
never been to his precinct but twice. At the age of twenty- 
three he lost, by straying, the only horse he ever owned, 
though he is now a well-to-do farmer. He went to hunt 
his mare, and failed in finding her, but found a wife and 
brought her home instead. She is twentv-fivx vears older 
than he is. At the time of marriage her weight was 233 
pounds, and his 123 pounds; now he weighs 230, and she 
130. At one time since their marriage they weighed ex¬ 
actly the same, viz.: 233 pounds. . Mr. Tanner is a very 
strong and healthy man. He has never lost but one meal 
of victuals from sickness. When he built his house he car¬ 
ried enough plank up a steep hill to lay the fioor of a room 
17x19 at two loads, and had six plank seventeen feet long 
left. It is his custom to go to mill three and five miles and 
carry the corn and meal, never using a horse, and carrying 
two bushels at a time. He has raised 3,000 pounds of to¬ 
bacco, besides other crops, this year, and a horse has never 
been in the field. This is the usual crop he raises in the 
same manner, never using a horse He has never hauled 
any fire-wood that he has burned, always carrying it. His 
brother Jonathan carried a rock weighing 700 pounds across 
a mill-dam, walking a timber only about eight inches in 




91' 


width; the same brother cleared and fenced ten acres of land 
in one winter, carrying all the rails —seven to fourteen rails 
was his load. He and Mr. Henry Tanner wrestled four 
hours (different heats), and neither was thrown. Many 
other things could be truthfully said of this remarkable 
man, but we think this is sufficient to entitle him to the ad¬ 
jective. This account was given us by Mr. Tanner himself, 
and in the presence of several citizens of Whitesville, who 
vouched for the most of it as the truth.—Hawesville (Ky.) 
Plaindealer. 

- 00 - 

The First Printed Book. 

The first printed book on record is “The Book of Psalms,” 
by John Faust and Peter Schoeffer, in 1457—precise authors 
adding the date August 14th, probably meaning that it was 
finished on that day. The work which most signalized 
Faust, and his art was the Bible, which he began in 1450, 
and finished in 1460. Copies of this Bible he carried to 
Paris, where he offered them for sale as manuscripts, and 
had the misfortune to be imprisoned under the suspicion of 
dealing with the Evil One, for the French could not under¬ 
stand how so many books should so exactly agree in every 
letter and point; nor could the unfortunate printer obtain 
his release till he had divulged the method by which his 
books were produced. 

- 00 - 

Care of Team Horses. 

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty 
to Animals presents the following concise rules for the care 
of horses, which will commend themselves to every horse¬ 


man; 






92 


Potatoes and carrots may be given once or twice a week 
to good advantage. 

See that your horse is kept clean, warm and comfortable? 
with plenty of bedding. 

A piece of rock salt should always be left in the ma«ger. 

See that the harness is kept soft and clean, particularly 
the inside of the collar, which ought always to be smooth, 
as the perspiration, when dry, causes imtation, and is lia¬ 
ble to produce galls on the shoulder. 

The collar should fit closely, with space enough, at the 
bottom to admit a man’s hand. If too large it has the bad 
effect of drawing the shoulders together. 

On no consideration should a team or any work horse be 
compelled to wear a martingale, as it draws the head down, 
and prevents him from getting into an easy and natural 
position. 

The check-rein may be used, but only tight enough to 
keep the head in a naturrd position, and it should never be 
wound around the hames. 

See that the hames are buckled tight enough at the top 
to bring the draft iron near the center of the collar. If too 
low, it not only interferes with the action of the shoulder, 
but gives the collar an uneven bearing. ' 

Caution should be taken that the girth is not buckled too 
tight, particularly on string teams, for when the traces are 
straightened, it has a tendency to draw the girth against 
the belly, and distress the horse. 

See that the horse is kept well shod, with a good stiff shoe, 
always calked at toe, and heel on hind feet, as it is there 
where all the propelling power comes from wdien heavily 
loaded. 

Keep the feet good and strong, by not allowing them to 
be cut away too much by the blacksmith. 


93 


llie best of judgement should be used in loading, taking 
into consideration the condition of the street, and the dis¬ 
tance to be tr«,veled. 

^ever over load, for by so doing you only distress, strain, 
and discourage your horse, and do him more injury than 
you can possibly gain by carrying the extra load. 

When your load is hard to pull, stop often, and give 
your horse a chance to breathe. 

No good driver will ever resort to the cruel practice of 
whipping or beating his horse. A light whip may be car¬ 
ried, but there is seldom use for it. Much more can be ac¬ 
complished by kind treatment and good judgment. 

Remember the horse is a very intelligent, proud, sensi¬ 
tive, noble animal, the most useful animal known to man, 
and is deserving of the the greatest kindness. 

- 00 - 

SOME OLD DUTCH PROVERBS. 

We must row with the oars we have, and as we cannot 
order the wind, we are obliged to sail with the wind that 
God gives. 

Patience and attention will bring us far. If the cat watches 
long enongh at the mouse’s nest, the mouse shall not es¬ 
cape. 

Persevei’ance will obtain good cabbage and lettuce, where 
otherwise nothing but thistles will grow. 

The plowman must go up and down, and whatever else 
must be done, there is no other but this long "way to do the 
work well. 

Learn to sleep with one eye open. As soon as the chick¬ 
en goes to roost it is a good time for the fox. 

Fools will alw^ays ask what time it is, but the wise know 
their time. 




94 : 


Grind while the wind is fair, and if yon negleht, do not 
complain of God’s jjrovidence. 

God gives feed to every bird, bnt He does not bring it to 
the nest; in like manner He gives us our daily bread, but 
by means of our daily work. 

The dawn of day has gold in its mouth. 

He that lags behind in a road where many are driving 
always will be in a cloud of dust. 

Hever set your feet in a dirty and crooked path for the 
love of money. It is a work that wdll bring bad interest if 
you wish to suck honey of thistles. 

You will need a long spoon if you wish to eat with the 
Devil out of the same dish. 


-- 00 —-- 

Selections from Carl Pretz'el’s Witticisms. 

Money vas said to ben efil’s root. 

Yell, I dond vant to doubt it. 

But, shure it vas, der bestest fruit 
Couldn’d been got mitout it. 

Yhen I eat corn, dot gifes me a husky voice. 

Dots besser you dond gif some credit on der shlate to 
mister abbearances. 

J yoost knock him down, so high like a kite. 

Der Landlord of der vessel, he say dot there vas a big 
hole in der bow of der boat, und dat vasser come in. I told 
him to cut a hole in der shtern and let der vassei’ go out. 

A soft answer vas turn dot wrath avay out, but don’t been 
ou der ‘‘soft” all der while. 

Hefer dond get selfish; a selfish peoble vas a most disa¬ 
greeable one to been mit. 

Der world never toed in, or toed out, but yoost vhent 

ahead all der vhile. 



95 


I would radder make fife cent to told dre trootli, dlien to 
loose fife tollers in telling a lies. 

Der Landlord on a vessel vas slipeak his head out to der 
sailors to ^‘loosen dhem shtays,” I got me right avay gwick 
ashamed fon der vimmens vat hear dhem words. 

Efery body goes to Heaven except der Tuyfel. 

A bile on der concience vas more besser as netting at all. 

As der twig got bent, der tree goes yoost der same like 
dot. 

Her vimmins vas like letters, you got to put shtamps on 
em. 

Ofer some of der gals of to-day vas in der garden of Eve, 
mit Eden, I baed yjou der tuyfel couldn’d deceif em. 

Yoost trink cider made from leedle ret abbles, und you 
vas alright. 

Got ub mit der foorst pirds, und gif der vorms some 
troubles. 

Lock der cow out so »gwick der barn vas shtole avay. 

A sheeb dot vas not goot lookin, makes troubles mit a 
goot many. 

Ofer ignorance vas pliss, please to told me who ish dot 
plister. 

Yen imbudence vas vit, dot’s besser you dond said some- 
tings. 

Keeb a shtiff ubber lib down, und you would been a great 
succeed mit pishness. 

- 00 - 

St, Patrick. 

•‘Saint Patrick was a gentleman,” according to the old 
song, but he was not as is generally believed, an Irishman. 
He was born near the mouth of Clyde, in Scotland, in 372. 
At sixteen years of age, he was captured by a band of out- 




96 


laws and carried a prisoner to Ireland. After a captivity 
of six months he escaped to Scotland. The pirates seemed 
to have a fancy for the young man, and captured him again; 
he was equally fortunate in escaping the second time. He 
was resolved to become a missionary to Ireland, and after 
a long preparation w^as ordained priest, and finally conse¬ 
crated. He entered on his labors in the year 432, when he 
was at the age of sixty. His preaching w^as attended with 
, such success that before his death, he converted the whole 
Island to Christianity! He baptized the kings of Dublin 
and Munster, and seven sons of the king of Connaught, 
with the greater part of their subjects. A poj)ular legend 
ascribes to him the banishment of all the snakes and veno¬ 
mous creatures from the Emerald Isle, by means of his cro- 
zier or staff, which was preserved in Dublin with great ven¬ 
eration as late as 1260. What a contrast between St Pat¬ 
rick the prophet of the Crozier, and Mohammed the proph¬ 
et of the Sword! 


You a gentleman! I a gentleman! who then will milk 
the cow? 

If you are a man show yourself. 

Don’t escape" the opportunity of the present moment, it 
will not return. 

One already wet does not fear the rain. 

Certain defects are necessary for the existence of individ¬ 
uality. We should not be pleased, if old friends were to 
lay aside certain peculiarities. 

« 

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